Nelson rescues Magic in 106-95 OT win that sends Bobcats to rare home loss

Nelson rescues Magic in 106-95 OT win over Bobcats

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jameer Nelson scored six of his 21 points in overtime and the Orlando Magic recovered after blowing a big lead to beat the Charlotte Bobcats 106-95 on Saturday night for their third straight victory.

While the Bobcats had won nine straight at home and entered 18-4 on their home floor, the Magic’s experience showed late despite a recent streak of bad play.

After Stephen Jackson’s layup with 1.2 seconds left in regulation completed Charlotte’s comeback from a 16-point third-quarter deficit, Nelson hit a jumper, two free throws and a runner in an 11-0 run to start OT.

Vince Carter added 21 points and helped hold Gerald Wallace to nine points.

D.J. Augustin scored 22 points for Charlotte, which starts a six-game trip on a two-game losing streak.

Charlotte was the NBA’s hottest team going into the weekend with nine wins in 10 games. After a loss to Atlanta on Friday night, the Bobcats struggled mightily until late in regulation.

Augustin led the surge, hitting three 3-pointers, the last tying it at 87 with 57.4 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

Nelson answered with a fadeaway with 37 seconds left. After Charlotte’s Boris Diaw missed a 3-pointer, Rashard Lewis hit two free throws with 21 seconds.

Raymond Felton, playing on a sore ankle, then buried a 3 with 7.8 seconds left before Carter was fouled. He hit only one free throw an left before Charlotte called timeout and moved the ball to the frontcourt with 6.9 seconds left.

Felton then drove to the basket and at the last moment handed off to Jackson, whose rushed, two-handed layup went straight in without hitting the glass.

Orlando didn’t have any timeouts and couldn’t get a good shot off at the buzzer.

But the Magic ended the suspense quickly.

The Bobcats missed their first six shots of overtime and soon Orlando was 2-0 on Charlotte’s home floor, with memories of their seven losses in nine games earlier this month fading.

Dwight Howard added 10 points and 20 rebounds, and Lewis had 18 points after a slow start.

Jackson scored 15 points on 6 of 18 shooting, while Wallace shot 2 for 11 and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Bobcats.

After committing two turnovers in the first half, Charlotte had seven in the third quarter as the Magic went on a 20-6 run. Lewis, who started 1 for 8 from the field, hit consecutive 3-pointers as the Magic took a 69-53 lead.

It was NASCAR night, with several drivers helping the Bobcats collect money to help the Haiti earthquake relief efforts. Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson was honored at halftime, and the Bobcats wore their road blue uniforms with a checkered flag stripe down each side.

They quickly fell a lap down.

Orlando led by as many as nine points in the second quarter behind Carter’s hot shooting and nifty drives. But his most impressive performance may have been on defense.

Using his long arms to disrupt Wallace from the outside and quick enough to prevent him from driving, Wallace was 0-for-6 from the field in the first half as Charlotte trailed 49-45.

NOTES: Jackson spent much of the night complaining and was hit with a technical foul by Brian Forte in the third quarter. … Howard lifted teammate Jason Williams in the layup line before the game so he could dunk. … Nationwide Series driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won a pregame skills competition that included dribbling, foul shooting, passing and layups. He beat a group that included the layup-challenged Michael Waltrip and Brad Keselowski, who kept air-balling free throws. “I was pretty nervous,” Stenhouse said.