The AP reports: The Charlotte Bobcats lost an inordinate amount of close games early in the season. They just hope it won’t come back to haunt them, now that they’re within striking distance of the franchise’s first playoff berth. Emeka Okafor had 28 points and nine rebounds, Raja Bell scored nine of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, and Charlotte beat the Los Angeles Clippers 100-95 on Saturday night for their third straight victory… Okafor made 11 of 17 shots, while Diaw added 15 points. Zach Randolph had 33 points and nine rebounds for Los Angeles, coming off a 98-86 loss at Sacramento that followed Wednesday’s stunning 93-91 upset of the NBA champion Boston Celtics.
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Felton scores 26, Bobcats beat Warriors 112-109
The AP reports: Raymond Felton had 26 points and nine assists, and Emeka Okafor added 15 points and 11 rebounds for Charlotte (23-36), which won for just the fourth time in its last 13 games… Stephen Jackson had 33 points and eight assists for Golden State (20-38), but couldn’t help thinking about the pass that got away from him at the end while trying to inbound the ball to Kelenna Azubuike following Diaw’s go-ahead 3-pointer… Gerald Wallace finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds for Charlotte, which snapped a four-game road losing streak to the Warriors. Andris Biedrins had 18 points and 13 rebounds for Golden State, which trailed by six points at halftime but opened the third quarter with a 16-5 run to take the lead. Biedrins had nine of his points during the spurt then later added a dunk to make it 73-68.
Wallace and Bobcats beat Kings 98-91
The AP reports: Once a seldom-used Kings reserve, Gerald Wallace returned to Sacramento and enjoyed a starring role. Wallace showed little remorse for the struggling Kings, scoring 27 points to help the Charlotte Bobcats win their first road game in nearly a month, defeating the Sacramento 98-91 Wednesday night… Boris Diaw scored 23 points for Charlotte, which had dropped seven straight road games. Emeka Okafor had 13 points and 11 rebounds, DJ Augustin scored 12 points and Vladimir Radmanovic added 10. Kevin Martin scored 23 points for the disjointed Kings, who added seven new players following last week’s trading deadline. Francisco Garcia had 15 points, newcomer Drew Gooden scored 12 and collected 13 rebounds, and Andres Nocioni added 11 points.
Suns spoil Diaw and Bell’s return to Phoenix
The AP reports: All the focus was on the return to Phoenix of Raja Bell and Boris Diaw. Instead, Steve Nash, Shaquille O’Neal, Jason Richardson and their teammates spoiled the party. Nash scored 22 points before leaving with an ankle injury, O’Neal and Richardson each had 20, and the Suns beat the Charlotte Bobcats 112-102 Tuesday night, spoiling the return of Diaw and Bell to US Airways Center… Diaw finished with a season-high 27 points, along with nine rebounds and six assists. Bell scored 23 with three rebounds and three assists. The Suns, however, had more balanced scoring. Leandro Barbosa added 17 points and Matt Barnes 14.
Artest scores 26, Rockets beat Bobcats 99-78
The AP reports: The Houston Rockets know who they have—and won’t have—for the rest of the season, so now they can finally focus only on winning games. Ron Artest scored 26 points, Yao Ming added 19 points and seven rebounds and the Rockets continued to win without Tracy McGrady, beating the Charlotte Bobcats 99-78 on Sunday. Luis Scola had 12 points and 10 rebounds and Shane Battier sank three 3-pointers for the Rockets, who’ve won four straight games and eight of the last nine McGrady has missed with a sore left knee… Raymond Felton, Boris Diaw and Emeka Okafor scored 13 points apiece for the Bobcats, who shot 36 percent from the field and had more turnovers (21) than assists (15) for the second straight game. Charlotte’s 21 turnovers were one shy of a season high.
Rockets-Bobcats team connections
Houston forward/guard Shane Battier received the Naismith and Wooden Awards as the consensus choice as National Player of the Year as a senior at Duke.
Rockets guard/forward Tracy McGrady was drafted by the Toronto Raptors out of Mount Zion Christian Academy in North Carolina.
Houston forward Joey Dorsey also attended Mount Zion Christian Academy in 2002-03.
Rockets Rehabilitation & Performance Coordinator/Assistant Athletic Trainer Keith Garnett also served as assistant athletic trainer/head equipment manager for the Bobcats.
Phil Ford, an assistant coach with Charlotte, played with the Rockets from 1983-85.
Bobcats forward Juwan Howard played three seasons with the Rockets (2004-07).
Charlotte center Emeka Okafor was a prep standout in Houston at Bellaire High School.
Larry Brown learns to chill
The Charlotte Observer (Rick Bonnell) reports: A kinder, gentler Larry Brown? Charlotte Bobcats guard Raja Bell sure thinks so. This is Bell’s second stint playing for Brown. Bell started his career with Brown and the Philadelphia 76ers from 2000 through 2002. “More mellow,” Bell said recently. “From the first couple of days (after Bell’s trade from Phoenix to Charlotte), I could see a different guy. When he needs to yell, he will. But in day-to-day demeanor, he’s a different guy.” Bell says Brown is no less an authority figure. But he’s more collaborative, less strident, less prone to overreact and wear out players with constant criticism.
Gerald Wallace shines, Bobcats beat Pacers 103-94
The AP reports: Gerald Wallace scored 25 points to lead six players in double figures and Charlotte pulled away in the second half to win its first game since the All-Star break. Wallace had his best outing in just his second game back after sitting out because of a broken rib and a partially collapsed lung suffered during the Bobcats’ game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 27… Wallace, who also had 10 rebounds and seven assists Wednesday, was 5-of-17 from the field, but made 15 of 17 free throws… Ekema Okafor had 12 points and 12 rebounds, Raymond Felton added 16 points, Vladimir Radmanovic had 15, Boris Diaw 14 and Raja Bell 11 for Charlotte. Troy Murphy had 18 points and 16 rebounds for the Pacers, who played most of the game without All-Star forward Danny Granger.
Bobcats sign Cartier Martin for rest of season
Charlotte Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins announced today that the team has signed forward Cartier Martin for the remainder of the season. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Martin, who signed his first 10-day with the Bobcats on Jan. 29 and a second 10-day on Feb. 8, has appeared in seven games with averages of 5.4 points and 1.7 rebounds in 14.4 minutes. He has also connected on .400 (6-15) of his three-point attempts. His best game since joining the team came on Feb. 6 against Atlanta, when he scored 11 points on 3-7 shooting from the field, including two three-pointers in 19:29 minutes.
Prior to his callup from the D-League, Martin appeared in 21 games for the Iowa Energy and averaged 20.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 37.6 minutes.
Howard scores career-high 45 in Magic win over Bobcats
The AP reports: Dwight Howard had a career-high 45 points, to go with 19 rebounds and eight blocks, leading the Orlando Magic to a 107-102 overtime victory against the Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday night… The Magic also got 17 points from Rashard Lewis, who joined Howard on the Eastern Conference All-Star team last weekend… The Bobcats, by contrast, were much more balanced early with no one in double-figure scoring, but seven players with four or more points.