Charlotte Hornets Blog – Page 39 – NBA Blog

Josh McRoberts helps Bobcats beat Bucks 95-85

While the Milwaukee Bucks are in the playoffs for the first time in three seasons, getting out of the first round will be a huge challenge given their recent poor play and a difficult first-round opponent.

By virtue of Saturday night’s 95-85 loss to the NBA-worst Charlotte Bobcats – their ninth straight defeat on the road and their 11th in the last 14 games overall – the Bucks will face the defending champion Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Few will give the Bucks a chance to win even a game in the best-of-seven series. Heck, even Bucks swingman Mike Dunleavy called it a ”monumental task.”

If there’s any bit of good news for the Bucks it’s that they hope to get Larry Sanders and Brandon Jennings back for the postseason. Both sat out again against the Bobcats…

Kemba Walker had 21 points, Josh McRoberts nearly had a triple-double and the Bobcats won for only the third time in their last 12 games.

McRoberts had a season-high 18 points, nine rebounds and a career-high nine assists.

Bismack Biyombo, the team’s improving second-year center, chipped in 13 points and tied a career-high with 17 rebounds as the NBA-worst Bobcats dominated the Bucks 52-36 on the boards.

— Reported by Steve Reed of the Associated Press

Bobcats sign Jannero Pargo for rest of season

Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has signed guard Jannero Pargo for the remainder of the season.

The 6-1 Pargo has appeared in 10 games for the Bobcats, averaging 9.4 points, 2.5 assists, 1.1 rebounds and 1.0 steal in 17.4 minutes. He has scored in double figures five times, while shooting .407 from the field (35-86), .380 from beyond the three-point line (19-50) and .833 from the free-throw line (5-6).

Prior to signing with the Bobcats, Pargo had played in 14 total games this season, seven each with the Wizards and Hawks, with overall averages of 4.0 points and 2.4 assists in 15.4 minutes.

Larry Sanders scores 24, Bucks beat Bobcats 131-102

Larry Sanders’ latest career night led to a big scoring night for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Sanders had a career-high 24 points and 13 rebounds as Milwaukee cruised to a 131-102 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Monday night for the Bucks’ highest total in more than four years.

”It’s working out pretty well,” said Sanders, who had set his previous career scoring high of 21 on Thursday in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers. ”I am just trying to stay active. My teammates are doing a great job of finding me down there, trusting me to finish plays, and I’m shooting the ball when I’m open.”

Monta Ellis had 19 points, a career-high 14 assists and six steals to help Milwaukee pull 1 1/2 games behind seventh-place Boston in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Celtics lost to Minnesota on Monday.

Ersan Ilyasova added 22 points for the Bucks, and J.J. Redick scored 20, 16 in the second half. Brandon Jennings had 19, as Milwaukee, which had lost five of six, remained solidly in the eighth position in the East, with a six-game lead over idle Philadelphia.

Kemba Walker scored 27 points to lead the Bobcats, and Gerald Henderson had 17.

Charlotte came in allowing 47.3 percent shooting and 103.1 points per game – second-worst in the league in both categories – and it showed.

— Reported by Erik Brooks of the Associated Press

Bobcats center Brendan Haywood injures foot, done for season

The Charlotte Bobcats announced today that center Brendan Haywood will miss the remainder of the season after being diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left foot.

Haywood missed three of the team’s last four games due to left ankle soreness. He had an MRI yesterday, and a CT scan ordered by foot specialist Dr. Bob Anderson confirmed the stress reaction.

Haywood, who will be in a walking boot for the next four weeks, has appeared in 61 games for the Bobcats this season, with averages of 3.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in 19.0 minutes.

Per the Charlotte Observer, “Haywood came to the Bobcats in July, after the Dallas Mavericks waived him under the amnesty clause. He is under contract to the Bobcats the next two seasons.”

Byron Mullens lifts Bobcats over Raptors 107-101

Gerald Henderson is enjoying the best streak of his four-year NBA career, and the Charlotte Bobcats are playing better, too.

Henderson turned in another solid all-around game, Byron Mullens scored 25 points and the Bobcats beat the Toronto Raptors 107-101 on Wednesday night to win consecutive games for the first time since mid-November.

Henderson scored 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting and added seven rebounds and five assists. The soon-to-be restricted free agent is averaging 22.7 points on 50 percent shooting in his last seven games, including a 35-point performance in a win over Boston on March 12.

But he’s more willing to talk about the team’s recent improvement than his own personal accomplishments.

”I think it’s just us maturing,” Henderson said. ”I think that’s a big deal. We’ve been in a lot of situations where we haven’t gotten it done in the fourth quarter but we have recently, so that’s good.”

With the Raptors keying on him in the final period, Henderson played the role of distributor and the Bobcats leaned heavily on Mullens and Ben Gordon down the stretch.

— Reported by Steve Reed of the Associated Press

Bobcats win 119-114, end Wizards 3-game win streak

Although the Charlotte Bobcats have been eliminated from playoff contention, Kemba Walker believes the young team can still take something from the season’s final 16 games.

Most notably learning how to win close games like Monday night.

Gerald Henderson had 27 points and Walker came up with a flurry of big plays in the closing minutes helping the Bobcats overcome a five-point deficit and beat Washington 119-114 to snap the Wizards’ three-game win streak.

Walker scored nine of his 18 points in the final three minutes, sparking a 12-0 Charlotte run…

Walker shot 8 of 14 from the field and had seven assists.

Henderson, who came in averaging 22.5 points over his previous five games, was 8 of 16 from the field and 10 of 11 on free throws. He also tied a career high with eight assists and his 3-pointer with 55 seconds left ultimately sealed the victory.

Ben Gordon had 19 points and Josh McRoberts added 17 for Charlotte.

John Wall scored 25 points and Nene added 21 for the Wizards, who lost three of four games this season to the NBA-worst Bobcats. Emeka Okafor and Garrett Temple each had 17 points.

— Reported by Steve Reed of the Associated Press

Amir Johnson gets 21 rebounds as Raptors beat Bobcats

Even though playoff contention may be slipping out of reach for the Toronto Raptors, Amir Johnson isn’t about to slow down.

Johnson had 12 points and a career-high 21 rebounds, and Rudy Gay scored 28 points as the Raptors beat the Charlotte Bobcats 92-78 on Friday night.

”That was a heck of an effort by Amir Johnson,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. ”I can’t sing his praises enough.”

Toronto drew to within 7 1/2 games of Milwaukee for the final playoff spot in the East after the Bucks lost at home to Miami, the Heat’s 21st straight win. The Raptors host Miami on Sunday.

Joey Dorsey was the last Toronto player to record 20 rebounds, doing it April 11, 2011, at Milwaukee…

Gerald Henderson, coming off a career-best 35-point performance in the Bobcats’ 100-74 victory over Boston on Tuesday, scored 22 points. Kemba Walker added 20, and Ben Gordon and McRoberts each had 10 for Charlotte, which has won just one of 11 and four of its past 26.

The Bobcats made just one of 13 field goal attempts in the fourth, and were outscored 23-10.

— Reported by Ian Harrison of the Associated Press

Bobcats sign Jannero Pargo to 10-day contract

Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has signed guard Jannero Pargo to a 10-day contract.

The 6-1 Pargo is in his ninth NBA season and has career averages of 6.4 points, 2.0 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 443 games played with the Lakers, Raptors, Bulls, Hornets, Hawks and Wizards. For his career, Pargo has shot .388 from the field (1104-2845), .350 from beyond the three-point line (338-966) and .867 from the free-throw line (301-347). He has also seen action in 40 playoff games, averaging 5.8 points, 1.5 assists and 1.4 rebounds in the postseason.

Pargo has played in 14 total games this season, seven each with the Wizards and Hawks, with overall averages of 4.0 points and 2.4 assists in 15.4 minutes.

Pargo will wear No. 5.

The Bobcats roster stands at 15 players.

Bobcats likely adding Jannero Pargo

The Charlotte Bobcats plan to sign eight-season NBA veteran Jannero Pargo on Wednesday to shore up depth at the point guard position, an informed source told the Observer.

For Pargo, 33, this will be his seventh NBA franchise. He spent portions of this season with the Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks after previous stints with the Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Hornets.

The Bobcats are expected to sign Pargo to a 10-day contract, after the team lost reserve point guard Ramon Sessions for up to a month with a sprained left knee.

— Reported by Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer

Gerald Henderson scores 35, Bobcats beat Celtics

Paul Pierce rested while Gerald Henderson went to work.

Henderson scored a career-high 35 points and Charlotte Bobcats snapped a 10-game losing streak by pounding the lackluster Boston Celtics 100-74 on Tuesday night.

It was Charlotte’s biggest margin of victory since beating the Miami Heat 104-65 on Jan. 20, 2010.

”I was just trying to be aggressive from the start and just attack,” said Henderson, who was 11 of 19 from the field and knocked down all 12 of his foul shots.

Ben Gordon scored 17 points and new starting forward Josh McRoberts had his first double-double for Charlotte with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

When asked if the Bobcats took Doc Rivers’ decision to rest Pierce as a slap in the face, Gordon simply shrugged his shoulders…

Kevin Garnett needed nine points to pass Jerry West and move into 15th place on the NBA’s career scoring list, but was held to just five on 2-of-10 shooting. Jeff Green and Jordan Crawford each had 14 points for the Celtics, who were outrebounded 48-29 by a Bobcats team not known for its prowess on the glass…

The Celtics probably should have been expecting more of a game from the Bobcats after losing in Charlotte earlier in the season. But Rivers decided to sit the 35-year-old Pierce with Boston in the midst of a difficult part of the schedule.

— Reported by Steve Reed of the Associated Press