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The Bobcats found themselves down by as many as 15 points Tuesday night, but a strong second half comeback earned them a 83-78 win over the Miami Heat.

Miami (32-32) scored 30 points in the first quarter, but the stingy Bobcats (31-31) defense held the Heat to 30 points in the entire second half.

“We’ve become a better team in the last week,” said Bobcats Head Coach Larry Brown. “I think the key is we are defending much better. In general, I thought we contested shots. We didn’t give up second shots. We didn’t get in foul trouble. There were a lot of positive things.”

Charlotte out-rebounded Miami 26-18 in the second half, while limiting the Heat to 12 fourth quarter points.

“We defended great and we rebounded great in the second half,” said Brown. “But we have never defended better than that against a quality team.”

“It was big. This was a must win for us,” said Bobcats forward Gerald Wallace. “This was a win that we needed bad against a team that we’re fighting to get in front of in the playoffs.”

Wallace dominated on the boards for the Bobcats, pulling down 17 rebounds to go with his eight points.

The Bobcats were led in scoring by Stephen Jackson (17), while Raymond Felton added 15 points and a season-high 11 assists.

“This is what it’s going to be like in the playoffs,” said Bobcats guard Stephen Jackson. “Tough games, games that both teams want to win. We played with a sense of urgency and found a way to win in a tough game.”

The win makes Charlotte 3-0 against Miami, giving the Bobcats the advantage in a potential playoff seed tiebreaker.

The Bobcats have won their last three games and take their winning streak on the road Wednesday as they take on the Philadelphia 76ers (23-40).