Charlotte
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
For the second time in as many games, Brevin Knight put on an assists clinic. This time his foil was not potential MVP Steve Nash but rookie Jameer Nelson, so Knight also showed him a little defense while he was at it. Knight finished with a near triple-double, doing it the hard way, with 15 points, 15 assists, and 8 steals. Meanwhile, Gerald Wallace, Emeka Okafor, and Primoz Brezec all either had or were flirting with their own double-doubles, with more than 20 points and nearly 10 rebounds each. The Bobcats beat the Magic 108-94to bring them to 3-1 against their Southeast division foes.
It was also Charlotte's first-ever road win against an Eastern Conference team and only the second time in franchise history that three Bobcats scored more than 20 points each but with such workhorses as Wallace, Okafor, and Brezec part of this team's future, it is a feat the entire league should start getting accustomed to.
Knight summarized the way they were able to win, saying they tried as much as possible to make it a half-court game, and by executing plays: "Tonight we found ourselves a little rhythm by running that side pick-n-roll. We were getting shots out of it. This was one of our better executing games from the defensive end and offensive end." Indeed, the Bobcats were able to match the Magic's 19 fast break points and were nearly equal in points in the paint.
The biggest difference was in getting to the line. The Bobcats were far more aggressive on that front as the side pick-and-roll got people free to penetrate into the lane where they'd get hacked and go to the line to earn it. Okafor alone went to the line 16 times.
NEXT GAME
The Bobcats (14-53, fourth in the Southeast) start a four-game home stand tomorrow night as they host the Miami Heat (52-17, first in the Southeast). The game starts at 7:00pm Eastern on Saturday, March 26th, and will be broadcast on C-SET and NBA League Pass.
TEAM NOTES
Check out lots of postgame quotes here.
Here is the Bobcats five-game outlook.
INJURY UPDATE
Kareem Rush(knee)Tamar Slay(foot), andTheron Smith (knee) are on the injured list.Keith Bogans(back spasms) did not play for the second straight game.
The Associated Press writes inABC News: There are slides, and then there are really, really bad slides.Losing two straight games to an expansion team qualifies the Orlando Magic for the latter. Gerald Wallace scored 22 points and rookie Emeka Okafor registered his 36th double-double of the season with 23 points and 10 rebounds, leading the Charlotte Bobcats to a 108-94 win over Orlando on Thursday night. It was the Magic's ninth loss in 10 games.
Rick Bonnell ofThe Charlotte Observerwrites: It was the first road victory ever for the Bobcats (14-53) against an Eastern Conference rival.It took 20 tries to accomplish that, but is it any surprise the Magic was Charlotte's patsy? The Bobcats have won three times the whole season by 12 points or more; two of those were against Orlando.
Rick Bonnell ofThe Charlotte Observerwrites: The Bobcats might have an actual rival now, after beating the Magic three times.It got nasty in the lane, with four technicals called against various players... Gerald Wallace's return from bruised ribs makes a massive difference in the Bobcats' intensity. He had 22 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. What he brings is infectious. "The guys know I'm going to contest every shot and be in passing lanes," Wallace said. "When I go hard, everybody goes hard."