Dante Cunningham helps Charlotte Bobcats defeat New Jersey Nets 105-103: NBA Recap
Forward Dante Cunningham netted a career-high 21 points to lead the Charlotte Bobcats to a narrow 105-103 victory over the New Jersey Nets at the Prudential Centre on Monday night. Cunningham also grabbed four rebounds and three assists for the Bobcats,
who had five players scoring in double figures on the night. The victory was a big one for the Bobcats as it snapped their six-game losing streak.
Forward Boris Diaw had 20 points, six assists and two rebounds, while guard D.J. Augustin finished with 19 points and a game-high 11 assists in the victory. Gerald Henderson added 14 points and four rebounds while centre Kwame Brown ended with 11 points
and seven rebounds for the Bobcats, who have won just four of their last 10 games.
Brook Lopez racked up a game-high 31 points and pulled down four assists and three rebounds in the defeat. Jordan Farmar finished with 20 points and nine assists while Sasha Vujacic scored 19 points in the Nets' fourth consecutive defeat.
Match Analysis
The Bobcats got off to a quick start, scoring the game's first three points. The Nets, on the other hand, went on an 18-3 run to take an eight-point lead with six minutes to go in the first quarter. Henderson hit a pair of free throws to cut Charlotte’s
deficit to two points at 27-25.
Wright hit a driving finger roll lay-up shot in the last second of the quarter as the Nets took a 29-25 lead into the second. Both teams scored 24 points each in the second quarter. However, New Jersey maintained a 53-49 advantage at half time.
The Bobcats got their shooting touch back and overcame their three-point first half deficit early in the third quarter. Charlotte managed to take a 66-59 lead with over six minutes to go in the third. The Bobcats extended their lead to as many as 10 points
midway through the quarter. New Jersey’s 6-2 spurt in the last two minutes of the quarter left them just six points behind at 79-73, after three quarters.
The entire fourth quarter was a very close one as it looked like whoever had the ball last would win the game. In a solidly contested quarter, the game was tied at 103 with just 10 seconds to go. The dazzling Augustin hit a step back fade away jumper in
the closing second to seal a two-point victory.
The 23-year-old Augustin was excited about his game-winning shot, and told reporters after the game, “I held the ball a little bit and Boris did a great job of screening for me. I came off and took Brook one-on-one. It was tough. Usually, when the clock
is counting down I am going out of my head. I knew we didn't have that much time left so I just pulled up."
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