Charlotte Bobcats @ Magic 3/14/10
The Bobcats defeated the Magic in Orlando 96-89 on Sunday night to earn their sixth straight win. The Cats improved to 34-31 overall and maintained their hold on the 6th spot in the East. Though Dwight Howard finished with 27 points on 12-14 FGs, the Bobcats were able to keep him frustrated and in foul trouble all game.
AP recap here | Box score here
With Gerald Wallace sidelined by an ankle sprain, the Bobcats looked to Stephen Jackson to pick up the slack. Jack delivered with 28 points (10-20 FG, 3-5 3PT, 5-6 FT), 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Most importantly, as the game hung in the balance in the fourth quarter, when the Cats of old wouldn’t have been able to score, Jack had three huge buckets and two free throws to seal the win.
Defensively, the Bobcats played another solid game. Dwight Howard, Vince Carter and Michael Pietrus combined for 70 points on 26-40 FG, but the rest of the Magic only managed 19 points on 7-32 FG. Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis, in particular, shot a combined 3-17 and 1-9 3PT.
Tidbits
- Theo Ratliff put in a days work, playing 32 minutes guarding Dwight Howard. Theo finished one rebound short of a double-double with 1o points and 9 rebounds.
- Stephen Graham filled in admirably for Gerald Wallace, with 12 points (4-8 FG, 1-2 3PT, 3-3 FT) and 6 rebounds in 30 minutes.
- Speaking of Crash, he is traveling with the team despite the fact that he didn’t play and has already been ruled out of Tuesday’s contest with the Pacers. When interviewed during the game, Gerald said that he’s been wearing a protective boot over the weekend, but was hoping to take it off tonight. He also indicated that he’d try to play as soon as allowed, knowing that he’ll be playing through soreness.
- And speaking of the Pacers, apologies for getting this post up late — I got hooked into the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary that premiered tonight on the Reggie Miller/Pacers vs. Knicks rivalry. Fantastic stuff.