Stephen Jackson leads Charlotte Bobcats to 97-92 win over Portland Trail Blazers
The Charlotte Bobcats snapped their five-game losing streak by edging past the Portland Trail Blazers 97-92 at the Time Warner Cable Arena on Friday night. The result also halted Portland’s four-game winning streak.
The 32-year-old guard Stephen Jackson was impressive once again for the hosts, as he finished with a game-high 29 points and also pulled down ten rebounds in the victory.
Forward DJ White and guard D.J. Augustin chipped in with 16 points each for the Bobcats, who have won three of their last 10 games. Guard Gerald Henderson had 12 points while forward Dante Cunningham came off the bench with 11 points for Charlotte.
Meanwhile, Portland Guard Wesley Matthews registered a team-high 20 points and grabbed two assists in the defeat. Forward LaMarcus Aldridge and guard Andre Miller finished with 15 points each in the losing effort. Aldridge also pulled down 10 rebounds.
The 22-year-old Nicolas Batum and forward Gerald Wallace posted 13 points each for the Clippers, who have lost five of their last 10 games.
Match Analysis
Both Charlotte and Los Angeles came out aggressively, which ensured a tight first quarter. The Trail Blazers got it going offensively in the last five minutes of the quarter, taking a 25-22 lead into the second. The Bobcats fought back with a big run in
the second to tie the score at 45-45 going into half time.
Brown made the opening shot of the third quarter to break the deadlock to make it 46-45 in favor of Charlotte. Jackson then hit a three-pointer to extend the Bobcats lead to 49-45. Soon after, Aldridge’s jump shot and a lay-up shot by Batum tied the contest
at 49. However, the Trail Blazers then went on a 21-15 run to take a 70-64 advantage into the final stanza.
Trailing by six points after three quarters, the Bobcats went on an 8-2 run at the start of the fourth quarter to once again tie the game at 72. Both teams then played a high tempo game, tying at 88 with just two minutes to go until the final buzzer.
Charlotte however, scored four unanswered points in as many seconds, to seal the victory.
Tags: