BOSTON (AP) — Dante Cunningham hit a go-ahead 15-foot jumper with 34 seconds left and the Charlotte Bobcats erased a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the struggling Boston Celtics 83-81 on Friday night.
The Bobcats outscored the Celtics 30-15 in the final period. Boston’s last hopes ended when Ray Allen missed a 3-point attempt and Kevin Garnett failed on a jumper in the final 5 seconds.
Charlotte moved two games behind Indiana, which lost to Sacramento, for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Boston, which began the night a 12-game behind the Chicago Bulls for the best record in the East, lost for the sixth time in 10 games.
DJ White led the Hornets with a career-high 17 points and Gerald Henderson had 15.
Boston was led by Paul Pierce with 18 and Allen with 14.
