Charlotte Hornets Blog – Page 42 – NBA Blog

Al Jefferson scores 26 in Jazz win over Bobcats

Utah coach Tyrone Corbin preached to his team before the game not to take the Charlotte Bobcats for granted.

Apparently his team listened.

Al Jefferson had 26 points and eight rebounds, and the Jazz posted a wire-to-wire 112-102 victory Wednesday night over the Bobcats for their fourth win in five games.

Jefferson was 11 of 15 from the field and the Bobcats simply had no answer for the 6-foot-10 center in the paint.

Paul Millsap chipped in with 19 points and Gordon Hayward was 4 of 5 from 3-point range for 14 points as the Jazz made light work of the Bobcats’ zone defense, shooting 54 percent from the field.

”They tried to double-team me and Paul got off,” Jefferson said. ”They start worrying about Paul, I got off. They start worrying about both of us, Gordon and (DeMarre Carroll) and all those guys start hitting big shots. It just all worked out.” …

Ben Gordon led six Bobcats in double figures, scoring 20 points. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 15 points and eight rebounds, while Gerald Henderson, Ramon Sessions and Kemba Walker each had 14 points for the Bobcats (9-25)…

The Bobcats continue to be without center Byron Mullens, who remains out with an ankle injury.

— Reported by Steve Reed of the Associated Press

Kemba Walker leads Bobcats past Pistons in OT

It’s not quite a winning streak, but after losing 18 straight, coming out on top in two out of three games is close enough.

Kemba Walker had 20 points and seven assists, Ben Gordon scored 18 points and the Charlotte Bobcats beat the Detroit Pistons 108-101 in overtime Sunday night for just their second win in 21 games.

After snapping the long losing skid with a 91-81 victory at Chicago on Monday, Charlotte lost 106-104 to Cleveland at home on Friday night.

Ramon Sessions added 15 points, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 11, and Bismack Biyombo had 10 points and 17 rebounds for the Bobcats…

Tayshaun Prince scored 21 points to lead Detroit, which snapped a four-game winning streak. Greg Monroe had 18 points, 14 rebounds and six assists and Rodney Stuckey also scored 18 points.

”They’re a team that when you score on them, they push it right back down your throat. They come at you 100 times faster than you went at them,” Pistons’ rookie center Andre Drummond said. ”That’s one of the teams that when you score, you miss a shot, you gotta get back quick or else they’re going to score on you.” …

Bobcats forward Hakim Warrick didn’t play because of flu-like symptoms and Charlotte forward/center Byron Mullens was out with a left ankle sprain. … Gordon is in his first season with Charlotte after spending the previous three with the Pistons. He averaged 12.5 points and 26.9 minutes in 52 games with Detroit last season.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Kyrie Irving scores 33, lifts Cavs over Bobcats

Kyrie Irving feels he’s at his best when the fourth quarter begins.

He certainly was Friday night.

Irving scored 16 of his game-high 33 points in the final period, including a pull-up jumper from the foul line with one second left, to help the Cleveland Cavaliers defeat the Charlotte Bobcats 106-104 and snap a three-game losing streak.

Irving scored 16 of his team’s final 18 points in the fourth quarter.

”I kind of got in a zone and kept it going,” Irving said. ”And they kept feeding me.”

With the game tied and 16 seconds left, everyone in the crowd knew who was going to take the last shot for the Cavaliers.

”Those are the moments I kind of live for,” Irving said.

— Reported by Steve Reed of the Associated Press

Bobcats end 18-game losing streak with win over Bulls

Squandering a healthy lead is nothing new to the Charlotte Bobcats – hanging onto one is.

Kemba Walker had 18 points and eight rebounds, and the Bobcats ended an 18-game losing streak with a 91-81 win over the Chicago Bulls on Monday.

Gerald Henderson added 16 points and reserve Ben Gordon had 15 to help Charlotte snap the second-longest skid in team history. It was the Bobcats’ first win in their last 10 road games.

”We’re a desperate team right now,” Henderson said. ”This losing streak has been very tough on us.”

Luol Deng scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for Chicago. Carlos Boozer also had a double-double with 19 points and 14 boards.

Charlotte fended off several rallies by the Bulls, who never held a lead, to win for the first time since Nov. 24…

The new year couldn’t come quick enough for Charlotte (8-23), which narrowly avoided posting a 0-16 calendar month for the second time in 2012. The Bobcats went 0-16 in April to end last season on a franchise-worst 23-game losing streak.

The eight wins already surpasses Charlotte’s seven wins all of last season…

Bobcats F Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (scratched right cornea) did not play after being poked in the eye during a 98-95 loss to New Orleans on Saturday.

— Reported by Travis Miller of the Associated Press

Eric Gordon back as Hornets beat Bobcats

Eric Gordon made his return to the lineup Saturday night. And for the better part of 24 minutes, he looked as if he’d never been away.

Gordon had 24 points and seven assists, helping the New Orleans Hornets overcome a 21-point first-half deficit and extend the Charlotte Bobcats’ losing streak to 18 games with a 98-95 victory Saturday night.

The Bobcats are one game away from a winless December. They haven’t won since Nov. 24 and are closing in on their franchise-record 23-game losing streak to close the 2011-12 season.

Gordon, who hadn’t played since April 22 following arthroscopic right knee surgery, was 5 of 13 from the field and 12 of 14 from the free throw line. He had two steals and two turnovers.

“I felt pretty good, I was kind of surprised,” Gordon said. “Now I’m just going to try to get better and better from here. I wouldn’t have had a chance to help this team earlier with my knee, but I’m glad everything is working out now.”

Ryan Anderson had 19 points and made a pair of 3-pointers in the final period as the Hornets won for the second time in three games…

“He’s a special player,” Anderson said of Gordon. “There are not a lot of guys like him in the NBA. He hasn’t quit warmed up to be 100 percent comfortable yet with this group on the court, but to come out and take over like that, that is the mark of a special player.”

— Reported by Steve Reed of the Associated Press

Dwyane Wade suspended one game for kicking Ramon Sessions

Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade has been suspended one game without pay for flailing his leg and making contact with the groin of the Charlotte Bobcats’ Ramon Sessions, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

The incident occurred with 8:12 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Heat’s 105-92 win over the Bobcats at Time Warner Cable Arena on December 26.

Wade will serve his suspension when the Heat play the Detroit Pistons on December 28 at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

To view the play click on this link.

Read NBA fan reaction and share your opinion in this basketball forum topic.

Nuggets send Bobcats to 15th straight loss

The Denver Nuggets’ inside game was at its best on Saturday night.

Kosta Koufos scored a season-high 16 points, and Kenneth Faried and Andre Iguodala added 15 points apiece as the Nuggets beat Charlotte 110-88 and sent the Bobcats to their 15th consecutive loss.

JaVale McGee added 14 points, and Danilo Gallinari had 12 for Denver, which won its sixth in a row at home behind a fast-paced offense fueled by 36 assists and 78 points in the paint, both season highs…

Koufos (8 of 10), McGee (7 of 8), Faried (6 of 10), and Iguodala (6 of 9) were a combined 27 of 37 from the floor. They took feeds from teammates, finished fastbreaks, and put up high-percentage shots primarily from up close…

Charlotte, playing the second of a back-to-back set on the road, was without injured guards Gerald Henderson and Ben Gordon. Henderson sustained a bruised shin during the second half of a 115-100 loss at Golden State on Friday. Gordon missed a second consecutive game because of soreness in his right knee.

Ramon Sessions had 23 points to lead Charlotte. Byron Mullens added 16 before he went down with a left ankle sprain in the final moments after getting his feet tangled in traffic near the basket…

The Nuggets, who missed an NBA-record 22 3-point attempts in Thursday night’s 101-93 loss at Portland, missed their first six against the Bobcats. Jordan Hamilton finally found the range to give the Nuggets a 40-31 lead with 8:02 left in the second quarter.

— Reported by George Georgatos of the Associated Press

Devin Harris, Josh Smith lead Hawks past Bobcats 113-90

Kyle Korver thinks the Atlanta Hawks have been too hesitant to beat a struggling opponent decisively.

That wasn’t the case this time.

Devin Harris scored 20 points, Josh Smith added 18 and the surging Hawks beat Charlotte 113-90 on Thursday night to hand the Bobcats their 10th straight defeat.

”I think mentally, in the locker room, we just decided that we were going to do it,” Korver said. ”It’s easy to let up when you’ve got a lead and you’re trying to create some energy, and we’ve done that several times.”

Gerald Henderson finished with 17 points and Ramon Sessions had 16 for Charlotte.

The Hawks are 12-3 since losing three of their first five games this season. Atlanta, which moved into a first-place tie with Miami in the Southeast Division, has won two straight and five of six…

Lou Williams had eight of his nine assists in the first half for Atlanta. Williams, who finished with 13 points, matched his career high in assists, and Ivan Johnson added a season-high 16 points.

Hawks center Al Horford finished with 11 points and three rebounds, ending his streak of seven consecutive double-doubles…

Hawks starting F DeShawn Stevenson scored nine points after missing Wednesday’s win at Orlando with a knee injury.

— Reported by George Henry of the Associated Press

Stephen Curry puts on show in Charlotte

Unlike his previous two trips to Charlotte, Stephen Curry said he didn’t have any butterflies as he stepped on the court Monday night.

Call it veteran experience – or maybe it’s just supreme confidence given the way he’s playing right now.

Curry put on quite a show for his hometown fans, finishing with 27 points, seven assists and seven rebounds to lead the surging Golden State Warriors to a 104-96 win over the struggling Charlotte Bobcats.

Curry, who grew up in Charlotte and made a name for himself when led nearby Davidson College to the brink of the Final Four in 2008, shot 10 of 22 from the field and hit four 3-pointers.

It was his eighth straight 20-point game, a career best, and he pushed his season scoring average to 20.0 per game…

David Lee continued his torrid pace with 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Warriors (14-7), who have won seven of their past eight games and improved to 4-0 on their current seven-game Eastern trip…

Carl Landry added 16 points and Jarrett Jack had 12 points and six assists for Golden State.

Kemba Walker scored 24 points and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist added 17 to lead the Bobcats, who’ve dropped eight straight after starting the season 7-5.

— Reported by Steve Reed of the Associated Press

Bobcats sign Jeff Adrien, waive Cory Higgins

Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has signed forward Jeff Adrien and waived guard Cory Higgins. Adrien will wear No. 4. The Bobcats roster remains at 14 players.

The 6-7 Adrien joins the Bobcats from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA D-League, where he averaged 17.6 points on .563 shooting, 11.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 blocks in five games played so far this season. He becomes the fourth Gatorade Call-Up of the season.

Adrien, who was in training camp with the Bobcats prior to the season, has appeared in 31 career NBA games over two seasons for the Warriors and Rockets, averaging 2.5 points and 2.6 rebounds in 8.3 minutes per game. He played in eight games with the Rockets last season, averaging 2.6 points and 2.8 rebounds.

Higgins was in his second season with the Bobcats, with career averages of 3.7 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 10.3 minutes in 44 games played.