Recap: Charlotte vs. Toronto
Sports Network | November 26, 2009
Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) - Gerald Wallace poured in a season-high 31 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, as the Charlotte Bobcats used a strong second half to defeat the Toronto Raptors, 116-81, at Time Warner Cable Arena.
Stephen Jackson added 23 points and six assists for the Bobcats, who have won two in a row after a seven-game skid. Jackson and Wallace combined to shoot 18-of-20 from the foul line. Gerald Henderson chipped in 15 points off the bench for Charlotte, which outscored Toronto 64-35 in the second half.
The Bobcats got center Tyson Chandler back in the lineup on Wednesday after a two-game absence due to lower back spasms. Chandler had five points and nine rebounds. However, Charlotte lost forward Boris Diaw in the first half after he twisted his ankle. Diaw finished with five points.
"I thought we played terrific against Indiana. But this was our best game so far. I thought everybody played well," said Charlotte head coach Larry Brown.
Chris Bosh ended with 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Raptors, who have lost five of seven. Andrea Bargnani tallied 15 points while Amir Johnson added 13 points and eight rebounds off the bench for Toronto, which shot just 34.5 percent from the field.
"We threw the ball away early on in the game and we continued to do so until the last possession [of the game]. We have to focus a lot more," said Bosh.
Ahead 66-59 midway through the third, the Bobcats went on an impressive 17-3 run to take control. Wallace had nine points during the spurt that D.J. Augustin capped with a layup for an 83-62 margin with a minute to go. Charlotte took an 85-67 lead into the fourth.
An Augustin trey and Derrick Brown slam to start the final period gave the Bobcats a 23-point cushion. The Raptors never got closer than 18 the rest of the way.
The Raptors led 23-20 after a back-and-forth first quarter. Wallace shined in the second quarter with a 14-point effort to give Charlotte the edge at the half. Wallace's layup with about 30 seconds to go put the Bobcats ahead 50-44. Each team followed with a layup to make the score 52-46 at the break.
The Bobcats shot 45.2 percent from the field...The Raptors turned the ball over 18 times, leading to 29 Charlotte points...These teams split four overall meetings last season, as well as two matchups held in Charlotte. Toronto is 6-4 all-time as the visitor in this series...The Raptors play at Boston on Friday, while the Bobcats welcome Cleveland to town Friday.
