Charlotte Bobcats rally past Minnesota Timberwolves
The Charlotte Bobcats erased an eight-point deficit in the final two minutes to escape with a thrilling 113-110 victory over the struggling Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday 15 November at
the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte.
Stephen Jackson scored 26 points on 5-for-6 shooting from beyond-the-arc, highlighted by a three-point dagger in the final two minutes of the game that led to the Bobcats’ first win at home
this season.
“It feels good to get a win at home,” Jackson said. “Hopefully we can make it contagious, continue to win at home and get our fans back in here.”
Gerald Wallace also had an outstanding game as he scored 26 points and was 17-for-19 from the free-throw line, while Tyrus Thomas scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and had crucial
stops in the final minute of the game.
“This team needed to step up and make big plays late and be rewarded for it,” said Bobcats head coach Larry Brown about his team’s performance down the stretch.
Michael Beasley paced the Timberwolves as the third-year forward scored 28 points and grabbed five rebounds, but committed two crucial turnovers in the crucial part of the game that led to
their ninth defeat in their first 12 games this season.
“I feel like it was my fault today,” said Beasley, who shot 12-for-25 from the field and converted all his three three-point attempts in the game. “I don't feel good at all knowing my two
turnovers changed the game.”
Kevin Love racked up 20 points and nine rebounds, while Anthony Tolliver and Darko Milicic tallied 13 points apiece, but their gallant efforts were not enough as they blew up a 107-99 lead
with only 2:07 left in the game.
“It's just something that we're going to have to figure out,” said Love, who shot 8-for-16 from the field. “Charlotte have a lot of veterans and down the stretch they know how to execute
and win.”
Down by two points, 112-110, with 3.5 seconds left, the Timberwolves had a chance to tie the game, but rookie Wesley Johnson missed two crucial free throws. Tyrus Thomas converted one of
his two free-throw shots in the next possession, extending their lead to three points, and Anthony Tolliver missed a potential game-tying three pointer.
“When it came down to it, our defence let us down,” said Minnesota head coach Kurt Rambis. “We couldn't get the stops that we needed at critical junctures of the game.”
The Timberwolves played without their top-two point guards Jonny Flynn and Luke Ridnour, who are both out with injuries. Rambis said that Ridnour could play on Wednesday 17 November, but
Flynn will still sit out some games because of a hip injury. “He doesn't feel comfortable getting out there right now,” said Rambis on Flynn. “He had a couple of real hard workouts back to back and got very sore because of them.”
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