Bobcats force a fiery comeback to topple the Wolves 108-105 in O.T.
Tyrus Thomas came off the bench to score 21 points and complemented it with 18 rebounds, as the Charlotte Bobcats rallied from an eight-point deficit in the final five minutes to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 108-105 in overtime.
The Charlotte Bobcats travelled to the Twin Cities to face the Timberwolves without two thirds of their starting line-up. Ace guard Stephen Jackson (knee), Gerald Wallace (ankle) and Nazr Mohammed (knee) were all side lined with injuries, making the task
of notching up the franchise's 200th win in Minnesota all the more difficult.
The new Charlotte coach Paul Silas however, put faith in his young guns on the night, and they responded big time as the Bobcats managed to break their nine-game road losing jinx.
D.J. Augustin missed 11 of his first 12 shots in the match. The second year guard however, turned the heat on when it really mattered. He scored 12 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to take the gloss off a huge night from Kevin Love.
Love led the home team’s assault with 35 points and 15 rebounds, but the Wolves failed to keep their defensive composure down the stretch again. The defeat against the Bobcats marked the fourth consecutive time the Wolves have blown a fourth-quarter lead
of five points or more.
Their coach Kurt Rambis was left frustrated.
"This was a very frustrating game," Rambis said. "You could just feel it at the beginning of the ballgame that they didn't come out with the right type of focus and intensity to win a game in the NBA. They weren't ready to play."
Minnesota made an upbeat start to the game and raced to an 11-3 lead within the first three minutes. The makeshift Bobcats line-up on the other hand, struggled to gel together early on. The Bobcats though, slowly found their feet and clogged up the gaps
in their defence, as they started to make the Minnesota offence sweat.
A chin-up defence at the back infused confidence into Charlotte’s offence as well. The results were dynamic as the Bobcats reeled off a 19-4 spurt, bridging the first and the second quarter, to snatch a 43-30 lead with less than seven minutes left until
the break. Kevin love countered immediately for the Wolves with two free throws, sandwiched between two jumpers to slash the deficit slightly.
However, the shots just kept on coming from the Bobcats, who took a 57-43 lead at half time. The Bobcats showcased an impressive post-strength in the second period, out-rebounding the best rebounding team in the league 9-1 on the offensive glass in the period.
The Bobcats however, went cold in the second half as the Wolves started to contest the ball more. They also started to push the ball deeper into the Charlotte court, and pulled off an 11-0 spurt to make it a five-point game. The fun though, was just starting
for the Wolves as they continued to climb back into the game.
Minnesota finally levelled the game in the last minute of the third quarter with a three-pointer from Jonny Flynn. Kevin Love followed up with two more, sparking the Wolves to a 73-71 advantage going into the final quarter. The Wolves continued to mount
the pressure on the visitors in the fourth quarter, and a Corey Brewer driving layup with less than five minutes left gave them an 87-79 lead.
This was where Thomas and Augustin took the game by the scruff of the neck. Thomas made four consecutive shots to set the tone, and Augustin followed with eight consecutive points - including two triple pointers - to take the match into overtime.
The duo scorched the floor again going into the added minutes. Augustin slipped in two charity throws and after a Gerald Henderson jumper, Thomas followed with a three-point play to boost the Bobcats to an early 102-97 lead.
Kevin Love and Michael Beasley however, combined for a five-point play, to drag the Wolves back into contention. The Wolves though, committed two crucial turnovers at that point, and Charlotte took full advantage to score six unanswered points.
The momentum had clearly shifted in the visitor’s favour by that point, but the Wolves still had a last gasp chance to save the match. Beasley however, drained a last ditch three pointer and Charlotte survived to win 108-105.
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