Washington Wizards stun the Charlotte Bobcats 97-91, make two in a row on the road – NBA update
Andray Blatche and Jordan Crawford combined for 48 points as the Washington Wizards took down the surging Charlotte Bobcats 97-91, wrapping up their third road win of the season at Time Warner Cable Arena on Sunday night. The shorthanded Bobcats finally lost their magic despite overhauling their lineup as they melted against the lowly Wizards, who carry the worst away record in the league. The home team lost their second straight game in three days and their playoff hopes have started to fade away.
Matt Carroll who is averaging 3.7 points this season exploded off the bench and landed a game-high 26 points for Charlotte. However, his super effort proved insufficient in the end as the Wizards displayed a solid post performance. D.J. Augustin also clawed together points for the Bobcats and concluded the night with 21 points and seven assists.
The Wizards truly had an impressive night with the ball as all of their starters scored in double figures. Washington’s star guard Crawford said after the victory, "We refused to lose. We're starting to get the mentality where we think we can. When you think you can win then you can pull it off. It was big for us. I hope we can keep it up. We stuck it out and got the win."
Keyed by their starters, the Bobcats game started positively with a 17-11 run in the opening nine minutes of play. Crawford stepped up at that point and took over the game. He pinned two straight lay-ups within a span of 38 second and after Othyus Jeffers made two free throws a minute later, Crawford again rattled the Bobcats from downtown as the Wizards raced to a 20-19 lead. John Wall landed two free throws in the last minutes to take the first quarter lead to three points.
The home team started the second period with great aggression and went for 11-2 run in less than four minutes to reclaim the advantage 30-24. DJ White and Carroll came up with successive blows to nab a six point advantage.
However the Wizards’ starters took possession of the ball and lifted the momentum to overshadow the opposition just before halftime. Washington clinched a 48-43 lead once again as the game progressed into the second half.
The Wizards reeled off a 21-6 run in the first seven minutes of the third quarter, sprinting to a 69-59 lead. D.J. Augustin however stepped up the pace for the Bobcats at this juncture. With 3:55 left in the frame the forward fired twice from the charity stripe to set the tone. After Boris Diaw pinned a hook shot seconds later, Augustin erupted with nine consecutive points to make it an eleven point game at the end of the third.
Matt Carroll tried incredibly hard to cut down the deficit further and landed seven points, including two three pointers, in the first two minutes of the final quarter. However the Wizards didn’t let Carroll’s magnificence come in the way of their surge. Crawford again provided the spark as the Wizards held on to a 97-91 win.
Carroll led the Bobcats comeback in the defining moments of the game and smashed the Wizards with 17 points in the fourth quarter.
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