Charlotte Bobcats take down the Pistons 97-87 (Part 1)
Stephen Jackson just missed out on the Player of the week laurel a fortnight ago. However, the 6 ft 8 in shooting guard is certainly determined not to let his franchise miss out on the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
On Wednesday night against the Detroit Pistons, he certainly made his intentions clear.
The dazzling sharp-shooter launched a second half explosion to score 22 points, which formed part of a momentous 39 points in his 42-minute endeavour. Shooting at a rate of nearly 54 percent from the field, the veteran guard also chipped in with five rebounds
and four assists, as he single-handedly propelled the Charlotte Bobcats to a 97-87 win over the Pistons.
On the night though, Jackson’s heroics had some extra motivation attached to them. Returning to the very place where he got involved in the infamous 2004 brawl, Jackson weathered a barrage of virulent boos and chants to produce a season-high performance
at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
The big scoring night though, was not the only thing he inflicted on the scorned Piston fans. Jackson responded to the crowd with some animated gestures of his own. At one point, he mimed crying after hitting a key three-pointer.
An animated Jackson said after the game, "People don't understand when you boo me, I play better. It's all fun. People still think about the incident here [in 2004]. I hate that it happened but I'm just here playing basketball and having fun. I love hecklers."
Former Pistons centre Kwame Brown also came up with a superlative performance, scoring 14 points and 10 boards. Gerard Wallace and D.J. Augustin were the other Charlotte players in double figures as they combined for 20 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.
The Pistons were not at full strength going into the match. Playing without Rodney Stuckey (shoulder) and Jason Maxiell (back), they still put up a valiant effort though. However, the big night from Jackson ultimately proved to be a little too hot to handle
for the Pistons, as they slumped to their fourth straight defeat. Ben Gordon led the Pistons with 20 points while Tayshaun Prince added 16.
The match started at a snails’ pace as both teams struggled to find their shooting groove. The first three minutes of play only witnessed a combined nine points as the Piston led 5-4. The deadlock was broken in the ensuing minutes though, as the Bobcats
reeled off a nine-point unanswered run to gain some momentum. The visitors continued to pile on the offensive pressure and a Sherron Collins driving lay-up sparked them to 23-16 lead with nearly two minutes to go until the initial buzzer.
Pistons though managed to slash the deficit to four by the end of the frame as the teams headed into the second period with the score at 25-21.
The Pistons started the second quarter with a bang as Ben Gordon knocked one from downtown to pull the home team to within one point. However, the Bobcats again managed to restore their lead with a 6-0 run. The back and forth play lingered on for most of
the second phase, but the Bobcats never allowed the Pistons within a two-point barrier, as they headed to the locker-room leading by 44-41.
Continued in Part 2
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