Bobcats hold their nerve to edge past the Bulls 83-82
The resurgent Charlotte Bobcats romped to their 16th win of the 2010-11 season, as they overcame the Chicago Bulls by a single point 83-82, in a nail-biting cliffhanger at the United Centre on Tuesday night.
It was ugly, but a single-point win is exactly what the Bobcats needed.
Only four Charlotte players scored in double figures. D.J. Augustin controlled the ball, made his move to the basket, and scored a team-high 15 points in the low-scoring affair. Gerald Wallace played well as he contributed 13 points and 16 rebounds to help
the Bobcats snap a three-game losing streak. Boris Diaw and Stephen Jackson added 12 points apiece in a game in which neither team led by more than six points at any time.
Stephen Jackson said after the game, “Everybody contributed tonight. D.J. played well. Gerald (Wallace) made some big rebounds and a big dunk at the end of the game, and Tyrus (Thomas) had a big block. We had contributions from everybody.''
Derrick Rose led the three Bulls players in double figures, as he scored a game-high 33 points in the defeat. However, Rose missed a shot at the buzzer, as the Bulls lost for just the second time in their last seven games. Ronnie Brewer registered 12 points
while Luol Deng posted 10 for Chicago, who had an eight-game home winning streak snapped.
Match Analysis
Charlotte alternated some electrifying alley-oop jams and three-pointers with woeful turnovers and defensive mistakes, yet the crowd-pleasing theatrics worked just fine against the Bulls.
Charlotte shot 60 percent from the field in the opening quarter. Augustin had nine points in the first to help the Chicago take a 27-24 lead into the second.
Both teams started ice cold in the second quarter, scoring 20 points apiece. However, the Bobcats maintained a 47-44 lead at half time.
In the third quarter, the Bulls finally forged a six-point lead at 57-51, by scoring 10 straight points. However, the Bobcats came back to regain the lead later in the quarter, thanks in part to three lay-ups by Augustin.
Rose sank a basket at the far end to start a 10-0 Bulls run, and some torrid shooting gave Chicago a 66-62 advantage after the third quarter.
Chicago extended their defensive play to the final stanza and began to play to the crowd. Rose faked a behind-the-back pass, kept the ball, and laid it in to give the Bulls a 78-76 lead with less than two minutes to go until the final buzzer.
The Bobcats had nine offensive rebounds and 11 second-chance points in the second half.
Trailing by two points, the Bobcats took the lead with a running lay-up from Wallace, and a three-point conversion in the second minute of the fourth quarter.
Jackson stayed hot during the crucial final minute, as he made a pair from the line to give Charlotte an 83-80 lead for good. Rose responded with a floating jumper at the far end to make it a one-point game (83-82) with 25.2 seconds left. However, Rose missed
on a fade away jumper at the buzzer to end the game.
A disappointed Rose said after the game, "The way we played tonight is really not the way we're supposed to play. We didn't have enough energy towards the end of the game."
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