Cats Take Second Straight

By Ketrell Marshall
bobcats.com
March 20, 2013

THE RESULT
Byron Mullens scored a game-high 25 points and Josh McRoberts notched a double-double (12 points and 11 rebounds) as the Bobcats won their second-straight game and third consecutive at Time Warner Cable Arena® with a 107-101 win on March 20 in Charlotte.

Cats Take Second Straight

TURNING POINTS
Toronto had an early 11-point lead in the first quarter…The Bobcats battled back in the second and closed the first half with a 15-10 run in the final six minutes to earn a five point advantage heading into the second half…The game was up for grabs in the final frame. The Bobcats opened the fourth quarter connecting on four of their first six shot attempts, leading them to their largest lead of the game (86-78) with 8:00 remaining…The Raptors cut the deficit down to one (94-93) with three minutes left to play. Ben Gordon responded by scoring five consecutive points, including a pivotal corner 3-pointer to give the Bobcats a six-point advantage (99-93) with 2:00 on the clock…Charlotte held on to the lead for the remainder of the game and didn’t allow Toronto to get within less than three points.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
The Bobcats defended well, holding the Raptors to 42.2 percent from the field. Toronto also couldn’t find its touch behind the arc (22.7 percent), while Charlotte finished with an impressive 46.7 percent (35-for-75) from the floor and 50.0 percent (8-for-16) from long range… The Cats took advantage of their up-tempo style of play and outscored the Raptors 16-9 in fast break points…Charlotte outscored Toronto in points in the paint, 46-42…The Raptors won the battle on the boards, 45-42, and outscored the Blazers in second-chance points (18-14)…The biggest difference in the game was bench production. Charlotte’s reserves outscored the Raptors’ reserves, 54-13.

BOBCATS PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Gerald Henderson continues his strong play scoring 21 points and connecting on 57.1 percent (8-for-14) of his shots. He also pulled down a team-high seven rebounds, dished out five assists, forced a steal and blocked two shots. Henderson made the most of his opportunities at the free-throw line, knocking down five out of his six attempts.

BOBCATS TOP RESERVE
Byron Mullens scored 25 points on 7-for-11 shooting and controlled five rebounds. He was nearly perfect from beyond the arc (3-for-4), tallied two assists, swiped two steals and turned away three shot attempts. Mullens led the charge down the stretch with 12 fourth-quarter points and made his final eight free throws, including four with less than 13 seconds to go.

RAPTORS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Rudy Gay had a productive outing, scoring 25 points while shooting 8-for-18 from the field. He also grabbed eight rebounds, recorded three assists and blocked two shots.

INSIDE THE LOCKER ROOM
“We have to take advantage of being at home. We have another one at home on Saturday before we go down to Miami, so we just have to try to take advantage of the homecourt like we have the past few games.”
- Bobcats forward Byron Mullens on winning three straight games at home

“It allows us to stretch the defense because both guys can hit shots so that helps. Second is that even though Byron went 0-4 in the first half on the free throw line you still feel like he can make them so both he and McRoberts were able to make free throws at important times and get good rebounds. They’re long also so there’s some size in there that helps us to rebound.”
- Bobcats Head Coach Mike Dunlap on playing Byron Mullens and Josh McRoberts together

GAME NOTES
Josh McRoberts recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds…Kemba Walker flirted with a triple-double with 14 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. He was also a force on the defensive side of the ball with a game-high four steals…Jannero Pargo scored 11 points and went 4-for-5 from 3-point territory… Ben Gordon scored 16 points and dished out one assists.

NEXT UP
The Bobcats stay home to take on the Detroit Pistons at 7 p.m. on March 23 at Time Warner Cable Arena®. You can watch the game on SportSouth or listen on WFNZ. Make sure you follow the live in-game chat by going to bobcats.com or downloading the Bobcats app on your smartphone.