ATLANTA— Chris Douglas-Roberts dribbled into the lane and sank a short jumper as time expired, and the Charlotte Bobcats overcame a 15-point deficit in the final period to beat the Atlanta Hawks 95-93 on Monday night.

Al Jefferson had 27 points and 15 rebounds for Charlotte, which remained one game behind Washington in the race for the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Gary Neal had 17.

Jefferson’s turnaround jumper gave the Bobcats a 93-91 lead before Lou Williams answered with a tying jumper for Atlanta with 2.6 seconds remaining.

Following a timeout, Douglas-Roberts penetrated and lobbed the soft jumper as the buzzer sounded.

The Hawks rested starters Kyle Korver, Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll. Mike Scott led Atlanta with 20 points. Shelvin Mack and Williams each had 13.

The Hawks’ spot as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference already was set. Jeff Teague, who had 11 points, did not play in the final quarter.

By contrast, Charlotte still had much to play for. The reward for sixth is avoiding Miami in the first round. Washington beat Miami 114-93 on Monday night to protect its hold on sixth and secure first in the conference for Indiana.

Jefferson scored 12 points in the first period and the Bobcats led 15-6 early, but only 26-24 at the end of the period. The Hawks stayed close despite shooting only 2 of 9 from 3-point range in the period. Atlanta took the lead when more outside shots began falling.

Atlanta led 50-44 at halftime and 80-65 entering the final period.

The Bobcats opened the fourth period with a 19-4 run, capped by 14 consecutive points, to pull even at 84. Luke Ridnour had 10 points in the run, including the tying jumper with 6:07 remaining.

Three free throws by Gary Neal gave Charlotte its first lead of the half at 87-86. The Bobcats led 91-86 before Mack’s back-to-back baskets — a 3-pointer and short jumper — tied the game at 91.

Kemba Walker had five points and seven assists in his returned for the Bobcats after missing two games with a sore right groin.

NOTES: The Bobcats salvaged one win in the four-game season series. ... Former Turner Entertainment Networks president Steve Koonin was introduced in the day as the Hawks’ CEO and co-owner. Koonin will direct business operations and represent the owners in league meetings. ... Jefferson posted his eighth straight double-double. ... A young fan sitting on the front row and wearing a Hawks jersey was bowled over by Charlotte’s Anthony Tolliver. The boy appeared to be shaken up but quickly regrouped as he received high-fives and fist-bumps from Hawks players. During a timeout minutes later, he was presented player-sized athletic shoes which were too big to remain in his lap.