D.J. Augustin helps Charlotte Bobcats defeat the Toronto Raptors 114-101
D.J. Augustin played one of his best games with a game-high 23 points and eight assists, as the Charlotte Bobcats cruised past the sluggish Toronto Raptors 114-101, at Time Warner Cable Arena on Tuesday night.
No Stephen Jackson, No problem - Jackson left the game in the third quarter after a collision with Toronto's Amir Johnson and limped to the locker room, clutching his left leg. After his departure, the Bobcats continued to play defensively and got some nice
lifts from the rest of the players. Prior to the injury, Stephen contributed 13 points, five assists and three rebounds for Charlotte.
Gerald Wallace played well as he scored 20 points, while Boris Diaw registered 16 points and nine assists for the Bobcats, who won their 10th home game of the 2010-11 season. Gerald Henderson came off the bench with 15 points and six rebounds while Centre
Nazr Mohammed pulled down 14 rebounds for Charlotte, who improved their record to 25-32 during the current season.
Sonny Weems had 19 points and Andrea Bargnani finished with 18 points and eight rebounds in a losing effort. DeMar DeRozan posted 14 points while Jerryd Bayless ended with 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Raptors, who lost their 11th straight road game
to tie a franchise record.
Match Analysis
The Bobcats bounced back from a 106-94 defeat to the Chicago Bulls in style, as they shared the basketball well, and ran all over the visiting Raptors once again.
Bobcats Coach Paul Silas said that Charlotte was strong enough to make a great comeback and ready to make a serious push for the playoffs. Silas said, "We have got to make a push now (for the play-offs). We have got to believe we can win every game we play.
They (Bobcats) showed tonight they mean business. We had a great practice (Monday) - it was exciting and they were energised. We came out with that same effort tonight."
The Bobcats held the Raptors to 27 points in the opening quarter as Charlotte carried a 33-27 lead into the second. The Bobcats’ aggressive defence then began paying dividends, as Toronto committed half a dozen turnovers in the second quarter and continued
to misfire from the field. Charlotte managed to take a 61-44 advantage at half time.
In the third quarter, the Bobcats attacked the basket constantly, while the Raptors tried to improve their poor turnover rate and fought hard to make the score a respectable one. Charlotte extended their lead to 89-69, heading into the fourth.
The Raptors came out strongly in the fourth quarter as they went on a 16-7 run to bridge the gap to 96-85, but it was too little too late. Charlotte got constant shots from Henderson throughout the final quarter and sealed the victory for his team.
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