Jason Richardson scored 36 points and the Charlotte Bobcats avoided a collapse against one of the league's worst teams to hold off the Minnesota Timberwolves 121-119 on Tuesday. The Bobcats coughed up an 18-point, first-half lead and gave the lowly Timberwolves a chance to tie the game.
But Al Jefferson, who matched a career high with 40 points, missed an open 19-foot jumper at the buzzer. Matt Carroll added 22 points while filling in for the injured Gerald Wallace and hit a free throw with 1 second left for Charlotte, which shot 62 percent and completed a season sweep of Minnesota the hard way. (More NBA stories.)