BOSTON, March 25 (UPI) -- Dante Cunningham put Charlotte in front with 33.9 seconds to play Friday and the Bobcats survived to surprise Boston 83-81.
Charlotte rallied from a 13-point deficit early in the fourth period to hand Boston its first home loss of the season against an Eastern Conference opponent. The Celtics had won their first 21 games against conference foes.
Cunningham's jump shot gave Charlotte a one-point lead and Gerald Henderson made 1-of-2 foul shots with 15 seconds left to account for the final score.
Both Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett missed 3-point attempts for Boston inside the final 7 seconds.
Charlotte won for the first time in five contests and moved within two games of Indiana for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
D.J. White led the Bobcats with 17 points and Gerald Henderson had 15.
Paul Pierce paced the Celtics with 18 points. Allen had 14 and Garnett 12.
Boston has lost two in a row and three out of five. The Celtics fell two games behind Chicago for the best record in the East.
