Andrea Bargnani had a game-high 30 points and hit the pivotal jumper with 26.9 seconds remaining as Toronto defeated the Charlotte Bobcats 92-87 Tuesday night, giving the Raptors their first winning streak in more than two months.
With Toronto (19-35) ahead 88-87 following a long D.J. Augustin three-pointer, Bargnani drove and hit a turnaround hook shot over Byron Mullens for his eighth and ninth points of the quarter. Mullens then airballed a three-point attempt and Bargnani finished things off with free throws as the Raptors won two in a row for the first time since Jan. 25.
It’s also the club’s first two-game winning streak at the Air Canada Centre since Dec. 1-3, 2010, and it came at the expense of a scrappy Bobcats team that had won six straight in the head-to-head series.
DeMar DeRozan added 20 points as Toronto went 3-2 on its five-game homestand. Linas Kleiza had 12 of his 18 points in the second quarter while Jose Calderon finished with 11 assists.
Mullens led the way with 20 points for the Bobcats (7-44), who have dropped eight straight. Augustin chipped in with 18 after being a late scratch from the starting lineup with right knee tendinitis.
Spurs 125, Cavaliers 90: At Cleveland, Danny Green scored 19 points against a Cleveland team that released him last season and Tony Parker added 19 and the San Antonio Spurs coasted to their eighth straight win, over the Cavaliers.
Pistons 102, Magic 95: At Auburn Hills, Mich., Greg Monroe had 22 points and 11 rebounds, and the Detroit Pistons beat the depleted Orlando Magic.
Heat 99, 76ers 93: At Miami, LeBron James scored a season-high 41 points, Mario Chalmers added 19 and the Miami Heat clinched a playoff spot with a win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
James scored 14 straight Miami points in the fourth quarter, helping the Heat finish off a four-game season sweep of Philadelphia and extend their home-court winning streak to 16 games.
Pacers 112, Knicks 104: At Indianapolis, Danny Granger scored 14 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, and the Indiana Pacers rallied from 17 points down in the second half to beat the New York Knicks.
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