By Jordan Nashen
bobcats.com

March 25, 2008
Five up, and then five down. It was as fast as that for the streaking Bobcats after setting a new franchise record a couple of weeks ago for consecutive wins, and then dropping five straight. With the season is winding down, the playoff picture is starting to become a little bit more visible.

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RECAPPING THE WEEK THAT WAS:
The Bobcats went 1-2 last week, with their only win coming against the worst team in the league. It was a tough stretch to say the least for the Bobcats as time is running extremely short for a move towards the postseason.

Here is a closer look at what the Bobcats did last week:

MARCH 17 at MEMPHIS - BOBCATS 80 GRIZZLIES 98
Shooting stud: Jared Dudley came off the bench and played a strong game scoring 14 points on 6-8 FG while grabbing four boards.
Shooting dud: Jason Richardson had an off night at the office shooting 4-18 from the field for eight points.
Key contributor: DA went 7-10 from the field, good for 17 points while also adding three boards and assists.

MARCH 19 at INDIANA- BOBCATS 95 PACERS 102
Shooting stud: Jason Richardson led the team with 20 points on 8-18 FG, and rounded his game out with 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Shooting dud: Jared Dudley missed all six of his field goal attempts, scoring four points and picking up four rebounds.
Key contributor: The Force came up big, picking up 17 points on 5-10 shooting and adding six rebounds.

MARCH 22 vs. MIAMI- BOBCATS 94 HEAT 82
Shooting stud: Gerald Wallace led the team with 26 points on 9-17 FG and 8-11 FT in addition to his five boards.
Shooting dud: Matt Carroll shot 1-8 for three points.
Key contributor: Nazr Mohammed missed only one of his nice FGA, scoring 16 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.

Gerald Wallace averaged 17.7 points and six rebounds throughout the week and seems to be gaining back his old form.
Jason Richardson averaged 17.3 points, 6.3 boards and 4.3 assists this past week.
Raymond Felton posted averages of 8.3 points and 6.3 assists.
Emeka Okafor had a rare off week with averages of 4.7 points and 5.7 rebounds over his last three games.
Nazr Mohammed filled in nicely for Mek’s stuggles, posting aveages of 10.7 points and 7.7 rebounds.

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PREVIEWING THE WEEK AHEAD:
The Bobcats head out west once again to play four games in five nights. They start the festivities on Tuesday against the Jazz, and then play the Lakers the following night. After a short day off, they resume play against Seattle (March 28) and conclude the week against Portland (March 29). The Bobcats record entering this week is 25-44.

Here is a closer look at the matchups for the Bobcats this week.

MARCH 25 at UTAH (46-25)
The Bobcats play their second game against Utah this season, after beating the Jazz, back in December by six points.

Key Matchup: Emeka Okafor (13.2 points, 10.9 rebounds) vs. Mehmet Okur (14.1 points, 7.2 rebounds)

Fantasy Tip: Deron Williams bruised his hand on Saturday against Seattle so he may not play at his usual 110%.

MARCH 26 at LOS ANGELES LAKERS (49-22)
The Lakers beat Charlotte at a sold out Bobcats Arena last month, so the ‘Cats are looking to reverse those fortunes in the series finale.

Key Matchup: Gerald Wallace (20.0 points, 6.1 rebounds) vs. Lamar Odom (14.2 points, 10.6 rebounds)

Fantasy Tip: Lamar Odom has been on fire, with averages of 18.6 points and 16.8 rebounds over his last five games.

MARCH 28 at SEATTLE (17-54)
Charlotte crushed Seattle at the beginning of the season, and hopes to do the same again against one of the worst teams in the league.

Key Matchup: Jason Richardson (20.9 points, 5.2 rebounds) vs. Kevin Durant (19.6 points, 4.1 rebounds)

Fantasy Tip: Chris Wilcox was playing good ball prior to his finger injury, so it may be worth while keeping him on your roster if/when he makes his return.

MARCH 29 at PORTLAND (37-34)
The Bobcats also beat Portland earlier in the season (two days after they beat Seattle), and seem to fare well against the Northwest division.

Key Matchup: Nazr Mohammed (7.6 points, 6.0 rebounds) vs. Travis Outlaw (13.0 points, 4.4 rebounds)

Fantasy Tip: LaMarcus Aldridge has been playing great for the Blazers lately, averaging 22 points and 7.2 rebounds over his last five games.

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AROUND THE ASSOCIATION
Who’s hot:

Hornets guard Chris Paul continues to up his numbers by averaging 23.6 points and 12.2 assists over his last five games

The Clippers Corey Maggette is averaging 27.5 points, 4,5 rebounds and 2.5 assists over his last five games.

Who’s not:

Jason Kidd can’t seem to find his rhythm with Dallas, averaging 4.8 points and 7.6 assists over his last five games

Boston’s Sam Cassell is another point guard who has been stuggling lately with his new team, scoring a combined 11 points on 4-23 over his last four games.

Bulls forward Andres Nocioni is feeling the heat in Chi-Town, scoring a combined 28 points on 9-30 over his last five.

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THIS WEEK’S PROJECTIONS:

The whole Dallas roster is going to have to come together in the absence of Dirk Nowitzki in order to qualify for playoffs, especially with how well Denver has been playing of late.

Houston’s Luis Scola is a very versatile player who has been used in as many as three positions this season. This makes him valuable to fantasy owners, as he has been averaging 13 points and 7.2 rebounds over his last five games.

Bonzi Wells has been hot as of late for the Hornet, averaging 18.7 points over his last three games.

Golden State's Mickael Pietrus is a good body to have on your roster once he comes back from a strained groin. The two games prior to sustaining his injury, he scored a combined 31 points on 13-24 FG.

The rolling Nuggets are getting help from J.R. Smith who is averaging 14.4 points over his last five games.

The Nuggets are also getting help from Kenyon Martin, who is averaging 15.8 points and 6.4 rebounds over his last five. Denver needs these positive contributions to strengthen their position in the West playoff hunt.

Make sure to check back every Monday for another installment of the Bobcats Fantasy Basketball Report.

Past Bobcats Fantasy Basketball Reports:

March 17, 2008

March 11, 2008

March 4, 2008

February 25, 2008

February 18, 2008

February 11, 2008

February 5, 2008

January 28, 2008

January 21, 2008

January 14, 2008