Recap: Cavs Comeback vs. Bobcats

TURNING POINTS
After trailing 30-23 at the end of the first quarter, D.J. Augustin took the game over in the second with 13 points and two assists as the Bobcats outscored Cleveland, 34-16, and entered the break up, 57-46… Things changed in the third quarter as the Cavaliers outscored the Bobcats by 13 to take a 79-77 lead entering the final frame… Midway through the fourth, Charlotte used a 17-6 run, capped by a D.J Augustin jumper to give the Bobcats a 94-93 lead with 2:11 left. However, the Bobcats would not score again as the Cavaliers took the 102-94 victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
The Bobcats struggled from the free-throw line, shooting only 14 of 26 for 53.8 percent, compared to the Cavaliers 20 of 29 for 69.0 percent… After shooting nearly 60 percent from the field in the first half, the Bobcats cooled down significantly in the second as they shot just under 30 percent. The Cavaliers shot 49 percent from the field and outscored the Bobcats by 19 in the second half.

BOBCATS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Augustin scored a team-high 24 points, with eight assists, four rebounds and two steals. Augustin took control of the game in the second quarter and was the key reason the Bobcats had an 11-point halftime lead.

BOBCATS TOP RESERVE
DJ White had a strong game off the bench with 15 points and five rebounds. White was efficient in his 31 minutes, connecting on 7-of-9 shots from the field.

CAVALIERS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Rookie Kyrie Irving sparked the Cavaliers comeback against the Bobcats, finishing with a game-high 25 points to go with seven assists and four rebounds.

INSIDE THE LOCKER ROOM
"I thought we played very well in the first half, but then threw the ball away on some lob passes and things like that. We don't really think it means that much, but then down the stretch of the game when you need the ball and you've made that kind of mistake and they go down and score, it really hurts you. So we have to be more diligent on how we handle the ball. We have to learn. We have to get there but it doesn't happen overnight. We have to still work at it."
-Bobcats Head Coach Paul Silas on the team being unable to close out the game.

"I don't want to make excuses for youth. We all play basketball and we all know how to make winning plays. I don't want to make an excuse and say it is youth. We've just got to get better, point blank."
-Forward DJ White on making plays at the end of games.

GAME NOTES
Byron Mullens had a strong game on the glass with a career-high 12 rebounds to go with nine points... Gerald Henderson was the second leading scorer with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting… Corey Maggette (hamstring), Reggie Willliams (knee) and Eduardo Najera (knee) all remained out with their respective injuries.

NEXT UP
The Bobcats will finish up their stretch of five games in six days as they travel to Orlando to take on Dwight Howard and the Magic on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Catch all the action on SportSouth, listen to us on WFNZ and join the live chat on bobcats.com.