Cleveland, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 16 points and the Charlotte Bobcats used a big second-half run Friday night to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 86-80 and push their road winning streak to three games.
Josh McRoberts added 13 points, Kemba Walker and Ramon Sessions both scored 12 and Jeff Taylor had 11 for the Bobcats (5-4), who got their second win of the season over Cleveland.
"None of us really shot the ball well, but we just scrapped that one out. It was all effort. We wanted to win," said Bobcats guard Gerald Henderson, who finished with eight points. "This is the kind of team we can be all season, as long as we keep working together and playing hard."
The Cavaliers (3-7) lost for the first time in four home games this season and dropped their third in a row overall. They got 18 points and 10 assists from Kyrie Irving and 15 points apiece from Earl Clark and Tristan Thompson.
Seven Bobcats scored during a 40-17 run spanning the third and fourth quarters that turned a 12-point deficit into an 11-point lead with six minutes left.
Sessions led the way with nine points and Kidd-Gilchrist came on late to chip in eight, including a three-point play to cap the burst and make it 81-70.
The Cavs cut it to six late, but McRoberts' 3-pointer from the left corner gave the Bobcats breathing room.
The Bobcats snapped a four-game road losing streak against the Cavs and won for only the second time in 15 games all-time in Cleveland.
"About halfway through the third quarter into the fourth we didn't play with a sense of urgency at all," said Cavs coach Mike Brown. "Charlotte got everything they wanted. They got into a rhythm and from there it snowballed."
The Bobcats shot 40 percent for the game but just 26.3 percent in the first quarter. They stayed close until the Cavs went on a 9-0 run spanning the first and second to take a 22-12 lead. Tyler Zeller scored the first five points during the surge.
Charlotte tied the score later on Gerald Henderson's tip-in but Thompson scored the last four points of the half to give Cleveland a 37-33 lead at the break.
Game Notes
Bismack Biyombo had 12 rebounds and three blocks for Cleveland ... Cody Zeller had eight points for the Bobcats, three more than brother Tyler scored for the Cavs ... The Bobcats beat the Cavaliers 90-84 on Nov. 1 in Charlotte ... The Bobcats return home to play the Miami Heat on Saturday night ... The Cavs are on the road in Washington Saturday night. They are 0-6 away from home this season.
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