NBA – Here come the Bobcats!
LOS ANGELES (NBA) - Larry Brown and Charlotte’s managing member of basketball operation, the legendary Michael Jordan, must have known what they were doing when they pulled the strings on a deal that brought France international Boris Diaw to the Charlotte Bobcats in a December trade. Since the arrival of the sweet-shooting and ...
LOS ANGELES (NBA) - Larry Brown and Charlotte’s managing member of basketball operations, the legendary Michael Jordan, must have known what they were doing when they pulled the strings on a deal that brought France international Boris Diaw to the Charlotte Bobcats in a December trade.
Since the arrival of the sweet-shooting and pin-point-passing star from Phoenix, the Bobcats have gone from hopeless to hopeful, with Tuesday's upset of the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center the latest evidence.
Diaw came within a rebound and an assist of a triple-double in leading Charlotte to a 117-110 double-overtime victory.
The French ace finished with 23 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
Charlotte have beaten Los Angeles in five of their last six meetings and more importantly for Coach Brown is that his team is 6-4 in its last 10 games.
The Bobcats are now 19-26 overall - just three victories behind Milwaukee (22-26) who occupy the eighth and final play-off position in the Eastern Conference.
Point guard Raymond Felton also had a big game for Charlotte with 22 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.
Team USA star Kobe Bryant had 38 points for the Lakers but fouled out for the first time all season late in the first overtime.
Phil Jackson was frustrated by the performance of LA’s Spain big man Pau Gasol, who was just four of 16 from the floor and finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.
"Pau probably had the worst night he's had as a Laker," Jackson said.
The Lakers are 35-9 - five games clear of San Antonio (30-14) in the Western Conference.
In other games, Cleveland beat Sacramento 117-110, Orlando hammered Indiana 135-111, Denver prevailed at Memphis 100-85 and San Antonio won at Utah 106-100.
FIBA