Bobcats Break Down Nets
Early in the season, no team seemed able to match the offensive woes of the Charlotte Bobcats. That’s because they hadn’t run into the New Jersey Nets yet.
The Bobcats and the Nets squared off in one of the lower-scoring games NBA fans will be treated to this season, as the ‘Cats finally got their gears going in the second half and rolled the Nets, 79-68.
Bobcats forward Gerald Wallace had a career breakout night, with 24 points, 20 rebounds, four steals and a block, as the offensively-challenged Bobcats managed to limit the Nets to scoring zero points in over a ten minute span between the third and fourth quarters.
“Larry Brown, he says I should get every rebound that comes off the rim,” Wallace said. For what it’s worth, Charlotte out-rebounded the Nets, 51-33.
The Bobcats started off slow, getting down to an early deficit but managing to stay in the game because of New Jersey’s offensive ineptitude (or because of the Bobcats’ stellar defense… something tells me it’s the former, though). After halftime, things got rolling for the Cats, as the Nets shut down completely right when Wallace was waking up for his career night.
“One time I looked up and we were 6-for-38 [from the field] and we were down 11,” Bobcats coach Larry Brown said. “I kept telling them if we didn’t defend we’d lose by 40.”
Point guard D.J. Augustin scored 21 for the Bobcats, who have managed to score less than 80 points in three of the four games they’ve played so far. Somehow, they’ve turned that into a 2-2 record, and they welcomed back guard Raja Bell from a wrist injury to earn their second win against the Nets.
