Charlotte Bobcats hang tough to pull a 95-90 win over Toronto Raptors – NBA Recap
On Friday at Air Canada Centre, the Charlotte Bobcats pulled off a much needed win to bolster their hopes of making it to the play offs by wrapping up the Toronto Raptors 95-90. Point guard D.J Augustin scored a game-high 23 points,
grabbed four rebounds, three dimes and two steals to spearhead the Bobcats.
The Bobcats started the game with a bang and converted four of their first five possessions to snatch an early 8-4 lead. Nearly five minutes later D.J. Augustin banged a ripper from downtown that sparked the Bobcats to a 22-13
advantage. The Raps however synchronized their offensive play in the remaining four and half minutes and reeled off a nine point uncontested run to make matters even at 22-apiece. The Raptors though, gave away a foul when three seconds were left in the first
quarter. The Bobcats availed that opportunity as Augustin hit two free throws to end the first frame at 24-22.
The thrilling see-saw battle ensued in the second quarter as the teams fought hard for dominance. The game was tied on four occasions and lead also changed four times in the period. The Bobcats led the quarter marginally as Gerald
Henderson helped them with his two successive jumpers making it 50-47 in the last 40 seconds.
The Bobcats came out of the locker rooms fired up and stretched the lead to double digits 71-60. Jerryd Bayless and Andrea Bargnani however rallied back for the Raps and enabled them to cut down the deficit to single digit. The
Raptors finished five points behind the Bobcats when the third segment ended 76-71.
With the Bobcats leading by four points halfway during the fourth part, the Raptors missed three straight shots and let themselves down time and time again. After Augustin hit two successive jump shots and Henderson made two free
throws, the Raptors were unable to cover the difference. The Bobcats won the game by five points.
Henderson scored 18 points and has done well since his inclusion in the starting line-up of the Bobcats. His scoring average is more than 14 points per game, this more than his season average.
"He's special, man," teammate Stephen Jackson said. "That's one reason why they traded Gerald Wallace. They want him to play, he's the future of this franchise. He's growing at a rapid pace. He's been big for us this year and he's
the reason we still even have a chance to get to the playoffs after a six game losing streak."
Andrea Bargnani made 17 points for the Raptors. His teammate Leandro Barbosa had 15 points, the Raptors has lost four times to the Bobcats in this season and has won just five out of 29 games. Jose Calderon added 13 points and
DeMar DeRozan counted 11 in this game for the Raptors.
Raptors coach Jay Triano said: "We didn't have enough guys that played well offensively. The guys that usually score for us didn't and had off games shooting the ball, especially from the free throw line."
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