TURNING POINTS
The Bobcats led 45-43 going into halftime after going on an 18-2 run during the second quarter, sparked by nine points from Ramon Sessions… The Cats couldn’t get shots to fall in the third quarter and only had 14 attempts to the Hawks 24 attempts… The Bobcats also had seven turnovers in the third quarter alone… With eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Bobcats were down by 11, but fought back with a 21-11 run to cut the Hawks lead to one on a Ben Gordon 3-pointer with 29 seconds to play… Al Horford, who is shooting 51.3 percent from the charity stripe on the season, sank two free throws with four seconds left to give the Hawks a three-point lead… Byron Mullens got up a potential game-tying trey but hit the back of the iron as time expired.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
First half stats told the story as the Bobcats shot just 22 percent (8-for-37) compared to 60 percent (22-for-37) for the Thunder. Jeffery Taylor led Charlotte with nine points on 4-for-7 shooting (57.1 percent) in the first half, while the rest of the Bobcats lineup scored 15 points on 4-for-30 shooting (13.3 percent)… The Thunder outshot Charlotte 51.3 percent (40-for-78) to 29.1 percent (23-for-79) from the field, 48.1 percent (13-for-27) to 27.3 percent (6-for-22) from 3-point range and 91.3 percent (21-for-23) to 77.3 percent (17-for-22) from the charity stripe… The Bobcats had nine steals to OKC’s three, led by four from Taylor… The Cats were outrebounded, 54-37… The Thunder had 31 assists on 40 baskets, while Charlotte posted 12 assists.

BOBCATS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Ben Gordon scored 20 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to keep the Cats in the game late, including his 3-pointer to pull the Cats within one. Gordon went 7-for-10 from beyond the arc and made all five free throw attempts to go along with his four rebounds, three assists and a steal.

BOBCATS TOP RESERVE
Ramon Sessions was the spark that kept the Bobcats in the game during the first half, scoring 11 of his 18 points in the first two periods. He finished with a game-high eight assists and two steals.

HAWKS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Josh Smith tallied a double-double for the Hawks with 17 points and 13 rebounds. He also dished out six assists, blocked five shots and had three steals.

INSIDE THE LOCKER ROOM
"We tried to not let (the Hawks) get transition baskets off of us. We had to pick our poison tonight, and we chose to give them the three in the first half. We were okay with that, though I would have liked to see them miss a few more, but that’s what they do. I think our team is growing. At every timeout we learn a little bit more about ourselves, especially our five new players. I think the veterans and youth are maturing nicely, but we still have a lot of work to do."
- Bobcats Head Coach Mike Dunlap on the growth of his team

"I just tried to be aggressive and look for my shot. My teammates did a good job finding me. I just tried to provide an offensive spark for us. I have moments when I’m in the zone. But tonight was more about seeking out my shot, and trying to be aggressive from behind the three-point line. It was a good night, but obviously, I would have preferred the win."
- Bobcats Guard Ben Gordon on his offensive performance

GAME NOTES
Ben Gordon’s 20 fourth-quarter points were a franchise best for points in a quarter, passing Gerald Wallace’s 19-point performance in the third quarter on January 30, 2010 in Sacramento… Gordon’s seven 3-pointers tied D.J. Augustin and Jason Richardson for a franchise record… Bismack Biyombo returned after missing the past two games due to a leg injury… The big man had six points, eight rebounds and four blocks in 26 minutes… Kemba Walker had 15 points, five assists, five rebounds and a block… Gerald Henderson (foot) and Tyrus Thomas (calf) were inactive due to their respective injuries.

NEXT UP
The Bobcats return to Time Warner Cable Arena® on Friday, November 30 as they take on the Philadelphia 76ers at 7 p.m. Make sure you come out to support your Cats. If you can’t make it, watch the game on SportSouth or listen on WFNZ. As always, follow the live in-game chat on bobcats.com or download the Bobcats app on your smartphone.