Charlotte, N.C. ? Emeka Okafor went to the free-throw line with a chance to give the city of Charlotte much-needed closure.

The rookie pushed aside his nerves and calmly sank a pair of free throws with five seconds left in overtime, giving Charlotte’s new NBA team a win over its old one — a 94-93 Bobcats victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Tuesday night.

“Any win is important for us, but this one, you could just sense the fans wanted it,” Okafor said. “They wanted us to beat the Hornets, and we sensed it meant a lot to the city. So I was a little nervous, but I just went up there and made them.”

It was the first meeting between the Hornets — who called Charlotte home for 14 seasons — and the expansion Bobcats, the team that replaced them after they fled to New Orleans at the end of the 2001-02 season following a nasty falling out with the city.

The game between two pretty bad teams wasn’t very good until the end. After 23 lead changes, Jason Hart put Charlotte on top with an 18-footer that made it 92-90 with 23 seconds to go in overtime.

Then Junior Harrington, who scored a career-high 22 points, made a three to put New Orleans up 93-92 with seven seconds left.

The Hornets had one foul to give and used it coming out of the timeout. But Okafor beat P.J. Brown under the basket, and referee Bennie Adams called Brown for a foul, sending Okafor to the line for the game-winning free throws.

“I thought I knocked the ball away, and I thought it was a bad call,” Brown said. “I was very surprised and shocked he called a foul. You don’t see too many games end like that, just given to the other team.”

Hornets coach Byron Scott equally was upset with the call that gave New Orleans its 11th straight loss.

“That was the worst call I’ve seen in about 12 years, period,” Scott said. “If (Okafor) makes a play and scores, then that’s one thing. You don’t bail them out, and that’s what (Adams) did, he bailed them out.”

76ers 110, Nuggets 102

Philadelphia — Allen Iverson had 31 points and 10 rebounds, and reserve Willie Green scored all of his season-high 17 points in the final 16 minutes, helping Philadelphia overcome an 18-point second-half deficit.

Andre Iguodala scored 16, and Samuel Dalembert had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Sixers, who have won three straight after losing six in a row.

Charlotte's Emeka Okafor, left, dunks over New Orleans' Chris Andersen. The Bobcats defeated the Hornets, 94-93 in overtime, Tuesday night in Charlotte, N.C.

Carmelo Anthony scored 29, and Kenyon Martin had a season-high 25 points for Denver, which has lost two straight after winning four in a row.

Jazz 93, Clippers 91

Salt Lake City — Mehmet Okur scored 19 points, hitting three free throws in the final nine seconds, and Utah held off Los Angeles. Okur also had 13 rebounds, getting two huge ones that led to his free throws down the stretch, and the Jazz beat the Clippers for the 22nd time in the last 23 meetings in Utah.

Matt Harpring scored 16, and Gordan Giricek added 12 points for Utah, which had lost seven of eight.

Warriors 111, Mavericks 107

Dallas — Clifford Robinson scored a season-high 25 points, Jason Richardson had a key follow dunk in the final minute, and Golden State snapped a 12-game losing streak in Dallas.

Mickael Pietrus added a career-high 20 points, and Speedy Claxton 18 points and 10 assists to help the Warriors win here for the first time since April 10, 1999. Troy Murphy also had 20 points for Golden State.

Pacers 108, Hawks 97, OT

Atlanta — Jamaal Tinsley scored a season-high 29 points, and Indiana snapped a seven-game losing streak. Fred Jones scored 21, and Reggie Miller added 19 for Indiana, which ended its longest losing streak since 1993. Tinsley was back in the lineup after missing three games because of a sprained ankle.

Sonics 108, Lakers 93

Seattle — Rashard Lewis scored a season-high 37 points, and Seattle improved to 18-4. It’s Seattle best start since beginning the 1993-94 season 20-2 on the way to 63 victories. The SuperSonics have the second-best record in the NBA and will play host to league-leading Phoenix on Friday night. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 35 points. Ray Allen added 26 points for Seattle.

Knicks 87, Nets 79

East Rutherford, N.J. — Jamal Crawford scored 30 points in a game otherwise defined by offensive ineptitude such as New York holding New Jersey without a basket for 15 minutes. It was only the third victory for New York in the last 19 games between the teams. The Knicks snapped a seven-game losing streak at the Meadowlands.

Timberwolves 100, Trail Blazers 89

Minneapolis — Wally Szczerbiak scored a season-high 28 points, including the 5,000th of his career, leading Minnesota. Kevin Garnett had 19 points and 19 rebounds for Minnesota, which won for the eighth time in 10 games. Sam Cassell had 19 points and 13 assists in coach Flip Saunders’ 400th career victory.

Kings 89, Bucks 86

Milwaukee — Chris Webber took an inbounds pass from Mike Bibby and hit a three-pointer at the buzzer, giving Sacramento a victory over Milwaukee.