Jackson and Augustin post shine in 101-92 win over Cleveland Cavaliers
Stephen Jackson and D.J. Augustin posted season-high point totals to help the Charlotte Bobcats beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 101-92 at the Time Warner Cable Arena. This was their 11th victory of the season.
It has been a while since Charlotte played well, but the Bobcats put in a performance they can really be proud of. Execution, energy, effort — it was all there for Charlotte. Granted, the Bobcats took advantage of a tired Cavaliers roster
but they still had to go out there and win the game. Charlotte did that and in the process showed what Stephen Jackson and D.J. Augustin can bring to the table.
Stephen Jackson scored a game-high 38 points in another dominant performance for Charlotte. While D.J. Augustin ended with 28 points, six assists and four rebounds.
The Bobcats interim coach Paul Silas praised Augustin's performance and said, "Confidence, I think, is what's most important in basketball. If you are a confident player then you are going to be able to do even more than you thought you
could do. Right now, his confidence is sky high. I would venture to say before this it wasn't."
Ramon Sessions led Cleveland with 22 points, while Antwan Jamison scored 18 and pulled down three rebounds for the Cavaliers, who also got 12 off the bench from J.J. Hickson.
Mo Williams of Cleveland missed the game as he is under day-to-day observation due to a hip flexor injury. He suffered the injury in the previous match against the Orlando Magic.
Game Story
The Bobcats were buoyed by their home support and came out with great confidence in the opening quarter. Their attacking game plan paid off as they took a 33-20 lead at the end of the first quarter. That was largely due to a combined 21-point effort
from Jackson and Augustin. Charlotte then extended their lead to 57-44, after a back-and-fourth second quarter.
In the third quarter, both teams went started cautiously. As the quarter progressed the game opened a bit more however, it was more or less a see-saw battle as the Bobcats outscored Cleveland 24-23.
With just two minutes to go in the final stanza, Jamison netted a lay-up and a three-pointer to put the game at a manageable 94-90 for Cleveland.
However Jackson responded with a deep three on the far end, and sank four more free throws down the stretch to ensure his team won.
Paul Silas said, "I told those guys from the start - attitude, confidence, and going out there and playing hard, respecting each other, that's what's most important."
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