By Leonard Laye
bobcats.com
March 17, 2008
Boxscore | Play-By-Play | Highlights | Recaps

Slow starts and energetic finishes have been recent trademarks of the Charlotte Bobcats, producing some of the season’s best performances during a five-game winning streak in early March.
Monday night, facing a fourth consecutive game on the road, the script was reversed and the results devastating to the Bobcats in a 98-80 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies in FedEx Forum.
The Bobcats started this one in fine fashion, moving to an early advantage and holding it through the first half. They surged ahead by seven (12-5) at the outset, led by three (24-21) at the end of the first quarter, then exploded for a 14-point lead with 5:26 remaining in the second period.
The Grizzlies rallied later in the second to cut into the Charlotte margin but even so, the Bobcats fought back and held on to the lead by five, 47-42, at halftime.
“I thought they got a lot of energy in the second quarter,” said Bobcats forward Jason Richardson. “Juan Carlos (Navarro) got to the basket and made some big shots. They gained some confidence going into the second half.
“We didn’t have a lot of energy coming into the second half and they were able to go on a run…We just came out flat.”
The game changed for good in the early minutes of the third quarter. The Grizzlies tied the game at 51, seizing the momentum in the process and parlaying that into a second-half rally that eventually ruined Charlotte’s hopes for a comeback.
Memphis stretched its lead to double figures, 72-62, in the final minute of the third period and took a 72-64 advantage into the fourth. That deficit was hardly insurmountable at that stage and, for a while, the Bobcats stayed within reach and were within seven, 75-68, with 10:27 to play.
Then came the Grizzlies’ finishing kick. They outscored Charlotte 23-9 over the ensuing 7:25 and, with 3:02 remaining, had their biggest lead of the game at 21 (98-77).
“I thought we just ran out of gas,” said Bobcats Head Coach Sam Vincent. “We played pretty good for a half. We did some nice things in the first half.
“Our legs are gone and our guys are tired. It’s been a tough road trip. We’re at the back end of it now, and we just fell flat.”

Charlotte’s bench provided the highlights. Derek Anderson rang up a team-high 17 points in 24 minutes, hitting seven of 10 field goal attempts (including three of five from three-point range). And rookie forward Jared Dudley contributed 14 points on six-of-eight shooting in a 19-minute role. That helped the Bobcats reserves outscore their Memphis counterparts 44-32 (and top the Charlotte starters’ scoring 44-36). Overall they hit 64.3 percent from the field and claimed 17 rebounds. The Bobcats shot well from the free throw line, hitting 14 of 18 shots for 77.8 percent, though the marksmanship didn’t help them that much overall. The Grizzlies had 31 chances at the line and, though they hit only 54.9 percent, they made 17 to outscore Charlotte in that category.

The Bobcats two primary offensive weapons, Gerald Wallace and Richardson, had sub-par shooting nights. Wallace, healthy again after suffering a concussion late last month and playing recent games as a reserve, returned to the starting lineup but wasn’t himself, hitting three of eight shots and scoring 10.
Richardson, averaging 27 points over the previous nine games, came up dry and had a rare low-key performance, making only four of his 18 shots and scoring eight points.
Charlotte’s lack of energy late in the game, its fourth straight on the road, hurt the defense and allowed Memphis to go on a decisive 23-9 run in the final period.
The Bobcats offense also took a hit in that quarter, producing only three baskets in the first 10 attempts as the Grizzlies raced away. Memphis made nine of its first 12 shots in the period.

Derek Anderson – perhaps getting a good-luck charm when he mistakenly wore uniform shorts belonging to usually-hot Richardson – came off the bench firing and hitting.
The veteran guard had three three-pointers and a running two-point field goal to help the Bobcats open their biggest lead of the game, 43-29 with 5:26 left in the second quarter.
He finished with 17 points, shooting 7-of-10 overall (including 3-of-5 on 3-pointers) and added three rebounds and three assists.

With all of Charlotte's starters struggling in Memphis, Derek Anderson came off the bench to score 17 points, but the chances of him being in your fantasy lineup are pretty slim. So the nod goes to Jared Dudley for his 14-point, four-rebound performance in just 19 minutes as a reserve.

The most telling statistic came from the interior, where the Grizzlies ruled.
Memphis outscored the Bobcats by a whopping 24 points – 56-32 – in the paint. That domination contributed to the late breakaway and ruined any chance the Bobcats might have had to stay in contention to the finish.

“When we have guys who are usually scoring big numbers for us, and their shots aren’t falling, then we don’t have a chance in those types of games,” said Vincent. “On nights like this when their legs go flat and (they) can’t put it in, we’re going to struggle.”

BOBCATS: Sean May (right knee surgery), Adam Morrison (torn left ACL)
GRIZZLIES: None

Wednesday, March 19 - Bobcats at Indiana Pacers - 7:00 p.m.
TV - News 14; Radio - WOLS OLDIES 106.1 FM

Matt Rochinski of bobcats.com contributed to this breakdown.