Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) - D.J. Augustin came off the bench to go 13- for-13 from the free throw line, including some clutch hits late in overtime, as the Charlotte Bobcats outlasted the Chicago Bulls, 110-101, to end a seven- game slide.
Augustin finished with a career-high 29 points and seven assists for the Bobcats, who hadn't won since a 103-97 triumph against Oklahoma City on December 3. Emeka Okafor added 20 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks, while Raymond Felton chipped in 21 points, seven helpers and six boards in the win.
Ben Gordon had 25 points and five assists for the Bulls, who have lost two of three overall. Tyrus Thomas ended with 22 points and nine boards, while Luol Deng and Drew Gooden dropped 15 and 14, respectively.
Okafor's free throw tied the game at 98 early in the extra frame and, after Gooden missed a shot as the shot clock expired, Okafor'S dunk made it 100-98.
The Bobcats were up by one with 1:52 left, and Gordon missed a three-pointer. Boris Diaw grabbed the rebound and Felton hit a long jumper for the 103-100 lead with a bit over a minute left.
Okafor then blocked Derrick Rose's layup at the other end and Augustin hit two from the charity stripe with 42.4 seconds left to make it a five-point game.
Following a timeout, Andres Nocioni bricked a three-pointer and Okafor hauled in the rebound and was fouled. He was 1-of-2 from the stripe for a six-point game with 33.6 ticks showing on the clock. The Bobcats held on from there.
A Joakim Noah free throw gave the Bulls an early 17-5 lead, which Chicago parlayed into a 25-16 lead after the first frame.
The Bobcats battled back, though, and cut it to 45-42 at the half.
An Augustin three-point play sparked a 9-0 Charlotte run that gave the Bobcats a 58-55 lead with about 4 1/2 minutes left in the third. Felton hit a pair from the charity stripe to close it out.
Matt Carroll's three-pointer gave the Bobcats a 65-59 advantage, but the Bulls managed to cut it to 67-63 heading into the final 12 minutes.
Gordon and Nocioni drained back-to-back threes to give the Bulls a 71-69 lead with just under 10 minutes left in the game. As the teams traded baskets, Chicago's lead hovered around two points, until an Okafor tip-in tied it up at 84. Two free throws from Gordon and a baseline jumper from Gooden gave Chicago a four-point lead with 3:47 showing on the clock.
Down by three moments later, Charlotte came back and Augustin launched a long trey which fell short, however, Rose fouled him in the process. Augustin drained all three free throws with 19.2 seconds remaining to tie it up at 94.
Rose took the ball at the top of the key, stalled for a bit and drove in, but his shot was blocked by Okafor as the teams headed for overtime.
