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Stephen Jackson recorded 28 points, six rebounds and as many assists, as Charlotte matched a franchise-best winning streak with its sixth straight triumph, 96-89, over Orlando.
Orlando, FL (Sports Network) - Stephen Jackson recorded 28 points, six rebounds and as many assists, as Charlotte matched a franchise-best winning streak with its sixth straight triumph, 96-89, over Orlando.
Raymond Felton checked in with 16 points and seven assists for the Bobcats, who also produced six-game tear from January 9-20. Stephen Graham kicked in a dozen points, and Theo Ratliff added 10 and nine boards.
Charlotte snapped a seven-game skid against the Magic and with a rare road victory, improving to 10-23 away from home and doing so without Gerald Wallace, who sat with a sprained left ankle.
"Big win is an understatement," Jackson said. "Without having Gerald here, our All-Star, our sense of urgency really showed."
Charlotte is tied with Miami for sixth in the Eastern Conference.
Dwight Howard had 27 points and 16 rebounds for Orlando, which had an eight- game win streak broken. Vince Carter scored 23, and Mickael Pietrus added 20 on 5-of-7 three-point shooting.
"Our defense wasn't very good at times, our offense was even worse," Orlando guard J.J. Redick said. "You can't really win when that happens."
The Magic held a two-point edge coming out of the break, but scored just 15 points in the third quarter as the visitors moved in front with an 11-3 run to start.
Jackson's driving layup dropped for a 62-56 game 4 1/2 minutes into the period, but the Bobcats failed to take full advantage and were up just 72-68 heading to the fourth.
A three from Jackson started a 12-3 run early in the final period as Boris Diaw's layup to cap things had Charlotte up 10, 84-74, with 6 1/2 minutes to play.
Pietrus' three a little over two minutes later had the Magic within three, but Jackson and Diaw came back to put in consecutive baskets to make it 88-81 with 1:26 to go. Jackson and Felton helped prevent a Magic comeback with successful trips to the line in the final minute.
Charlotte had a 26-25 edge after the opening 12 minutes, but Orlando quickly moved in front behind the three-point shooting of Pietrus, who ended the first frame and began the second with treys.
Pietrus struck from long distance again three minutes in for a 36-30 lead. Ratliff later tied things at 40 with a dunk, but the Magic maintained a slim lead going into the break, 53-51.
Orlando was aiming to win its ninth straight for the first time since Jan. 30- Feb. 18, 2001...Howard was just 3-of-10 at the free throw line...Rashard Lewis was 1-of-7 from the field for three points and Jameer Nelson shot 2-for-10 to end with four points...Collectively the Magic shot 45.8 percent, balanced by Howard's 12-of-14 showing from the field...Howard passed former Magic guard Tracy McGrady for second on the franchise's all-time scoring list.
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Odds Shark 
Are The Bobcats Playoff Sleepers?
It's worth asking this question again after the Bobcats beat the Magic on the road last night. Of all the lower playoff teams in the East, is Charlotte the most dangerous?
Think about it. The Bobcats are a respectable 5-8 against the top four teams in the East (Boston, Orlando, Cleveland and Atlanta), but that record is misleading because four of those games came very early in the season before they traded for Stephen Jackson. Since the trade, the Bobcats are 4-5 against those teams, and two of those losses to Orlando were close games that could have gone either way. They have three wins against the Cavaliers and now also have one win against the Magic.
SB Nation's Bobcats blog Rufus on Fire understands the Bobcats are dangerous if they're firing on all cylinders.
It shouldn't be that hard to turn that defense up to 11 in the playoffs when you have two excellent perimeter defenders (Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson) and three solid defensive centers in Nazr Mohammad, Tyson Chandler (if healthy) and the Theo Ratliff. Throw in newcomer Tyrus Thomas, a whirling demon ready to be unleashed, and it's not going to be very easy to score on these guys, to say the least.
At the same time, regular-season scheduling weirdness needs to be considered. The Magic were playing their third game in four nights and had to travel from Washington, where they played the night before. As SB Nation's Orlando Pinstriped Post noted, they were tired. Two of Charlotte's wins over Cleveland also came when Cleveland was on a second night of a back-to-back set. This isn't an excuse, mind you, but it's worth noting because there are no back-to-back games in the playoffs.
I guess the only way to find out is to wait a month and see what happens, assuming Charlotte does make it. I hope they are legit, because otherwise the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs could be a bit boring.
Mar 15 10:04a by Mike Prada - 0 comments