NBA Round-up, March 11 - Charlotte Bobcats and New Jersey Nets win (part 1)
Charlotte Bobcats 97 - Portland Trail Blazers 92
Stephen Jackson rallied in the final frame as the Charlotte Bobcats overcame a 10 point deficit to thump the Portland Trail Blazers 97-92 on Friday night. Jackson scored 29 points in total, out of which 18 came in the last regulation.
The dazzling forward also had 13 rebound, three assists, one steal and one block as he helped the Bobcats in snapping their six game losing streak.
The Trail Blazers led the first quarter by three points 25-22. They continued to lead the Bobcats deep into the second quarter. However with nearly four minutes left in the break, the Bobcats mounted a comeback with a 12-5 run,
which tied the scores at 45 going into the break.
The Bobcats tried to dominate the game early in the third period but the Trail Blazers scorched the Bobcats with a 19-5 run that sparked them to 10-point lead late in the third quarter. The Blazers eventually headed into the fourth
quarter with a 70-64 advantage.
It was all Jackson after that as he pulverized the Blazers with a 18-point blitz to propel his team to a 97-92 victory, one which marked a crucial step in the Bobcats surge for a play-off berth. This game was also significant due
to the fact that Gerald Wallace returned to the very building that ditched him during the recently concluded trade saga. Emotional scenes were witnessed post-game, when his friend and ex-teammate Stephen Jackson hugged Wallace as a show of his support.
Gerald Wallace notched up 13 points for the Trail Blazers and Wesley Matthews hit 20 points. Matthews cracked his streak of 21 successive free throws by missing the two in the final frame which could have tied the game at 93.
New Jersey Nets 102 – Los Angeles Clippers 98
The New Jersey Nets overpowered the Los Angeles Clippers 102-98 in the overtime with the help of their sterling attack. Centre Brook Lopez scored 24 points and seven rebounds while Jordan Farmar finished with 24 points and seven
assists for the Nets. The most significant all-round contribution for the Nets came in the form of Kris Humphries though. The mercurial forward who is making his mark as an elite with every passing game scored 19 points and had a career high 20 rebounds.
The Clippers led the first quarter by 14-26, outscoring the Nets in a 14-3 midway run. The Nets put up a little better effort in the second section and scored just two points less than the Clippers, but failed to cover previous
quarter’s deficit 37-51. The turning point came after the first half, when the Nets made a ferocious comeback.
The Nets entered the third quarter with all guns blazing and torched the Clippers with a 22-6 run. The spurt which was capped by a driving layup by Farmar clinched the lead for the Nets at 59-58. Randy Foye and Blake Griffin however
initiated a rear guard action for the Clippers in the final four and a half minutes of the third quarter, which eventually made it a one-point game at the culmination. The Nets finished the third segment leading by 68-67.
With the start of the fourth part began the battle of supremacy. The match swung from one end to the other as both the teams tried to make a final push. With 12.3 seconds remaining and the Clippers trailing by one, Blake Griffin
jumped to the fore and canned a lay-up to give his team a one-point lead. Lopez responded with a layup of his own in the very next Nets possession to again take the lead. Griffin earned a foul in the last ditch moment and got two free throws to seal the match.
The rookie pinned the first one to tie the match but to the horror of the Clippers faithful he missed in the second attempt to send the game into overtime.
The Nets not just made aggression but also restricted the opposition well in the overtime, which enabled them to overcome the Clippers 102-98.
Griffin and Chris Kaman who came off the bench contributed 23 points each for the Clippers. Randy Foye added 19 points.
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