With a much-needed win over the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday night, the Charlotte Bobcats moved to within a game of the Chicago Bulls for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The fifth-year Bobcats, who are looking for the first playoff berth in franchise history, had the good fortune of having the Lakers in town. That might sound far-fetched, but Tuesday’s 94-84 victory marked Charlotte’s sixth win in the last seven meetings with the NBA’s winningest team.

Charlotte’s winning ways over Los Angeles began in February 2006, following a pair of one-point defeats at the hands of the Lakers in 2005. During this span of six wins in seven games, the Bobcats have claimed three overtime victories, including a 133-124 decision that required three extra sessions in December 2006 and a 117-110 double-overtime victory in Los Angeles on Jan. 27. January’s win marked the third straight for Charlotte in the Lakers’ building.

Since the start of the 2005-06 season, no team has a better record against the Lakers than the Bobcats in regular-season action.

Best Team Records vs. the Lakers, 2005-06 Season & Since

Charlotte. . . . .6-2
Cleveland. . . . .5-3
Detroit. . . . . . 5-3
Phoenix. . . . . .8-8
Portland. . . . . 7-7
San Antonio. . .7-7

There are only three NBA teams with a winning record against the Lakers in this stretch, and they don’t include the Suns, Spurs, Jazz (5-8) or Celtics (3-5).

In this same stretch, the Bobcats, who on Tuesday set a single-season franchise record with their 34th win of 2008-09, have a winning record against only seven teams. Of those seven teams, only the Lakers, Hawks (9-7), Pacers (8-7) and Sixers (8-6) have made the playoffs in this span.