Murray three-pointer helps Bobcats halt Cavs’ run

CLEVELAND, Ohio,  (Reuters) – Ronald Murray landed a  three-pointer with 56 seconds remaining as the Charlotte  Bobcats snapped the Cleveland Cavaliers’ seven-game winning  streak with a 91-88 victory on Sunday.

Murray’s shot put Charlotte up 86-83 and the Cavaliers, who  had won 11 straight at home, were unable to recover with LeBron  James missing what would have been a game-tying three-pointer  as time expired.

“I felt like it (the three-pointer) took all the air out of  the building,” Murray said. “I prefer road games, they make me  feel more ready.”

Murray’s team mate Stephen Jackson hailed the game changing  shot, which silenced the home crowd.

“That three-pointer by Flip (Murray) changed everything,”  Jackson, who had 22 points, told reporters. “It gave us all  confidence.”

With 2.5 seconds to play and Charlotte leading by one,  Jackson held his nerve to land two clutch free throws.

“I make love to pressure,” Jackson said.

Cavaliers coach Mike Brown was upset with his side’s  failure to foul Murray, a poor free-throw shooter, before the  ball went to Jackson, who landed the final blows.

“We are supposed to try to get the steal, and if you can’t  then foul him,” Brown said. “He got the ball out of the trap  and got it to their best free-throw shooter.”

The road win was only the third of the season for  Charlotte, the fourth placed team in the Southeast Division  with a 14-18 overall record.

Gerald Wallace had 19 points to go with 12 rebounds and  Raymond Felton added 17. Murray finished with 10.

“They have some really good pieces and match-up really well  with us,” said James, who finished with 29 points, seven  rebounds and six assists.

Cleveland, 27-9 overall and 13-3 at home, had not lost on  their own court since suffering defeat at the hands of the  Chicago Bulls on Nov. 5.

“It was just one of those days,” said Mo Williams, who  contributed 27 points. “You can’t expect to be great and sharp  all of the time.”