By Malinda Murray
bobcats.com
April 9, 2008
Boxscore | Play-By-Play | Highlights | Recaps

For awhile it appeared like tonight’s game was going to be an easy win for the Knicks. In the early stages, everything seemed to be going New York’s way. They were getting to the basket with ease and every shot they put up seemed to find its way to the bottom of the net.
During a 3:47 stretch during the second quarter, the Knicks reeled off 18 straight points to claim a 58-40 lead.
On the road and facing a huge deficit, the Bobcats could have easily just conceded the victory to New York. Instead, they showed their determination, fighting back and giving themselves an opportunity to get the win.
“I felt they continued to show some growth instead of hanging their heads and being frustrated,” said Bobcats Head Coach Sam Vincent. “The fact that we had a period where we didn’t play well (and) they showed some growth in the fact that they continued to fight.”
Charlotte made their big push in the closing minutes of the third quarter. Matt Carroll scored seven straight points to spark a 19-6 Bobcats run that pulled them to within three at the end of the period.
Now it was anybody’s game.
With 8:58 remaining, Raymond Felton hit a layup and converted a three-point play to give the Bobcats a 91-90 edge, their first lead since early in the game.
New York had an answer though as Fred Jones knocked down one of his five three-pointers of the night to send the Knicks surging back in front.
Down by five with just over six minutes remaining, Emeka Okafor took control of the paint. He scored five points and Jason Richardson capped a 10-3 Charlotte run with a tip-in to put the Bobcats back in front 102-100.
Just when it seemed Charlotte had found a way to wrestle control away from New York, the Knicks responded with a big bucket of their own.
Nate Robinson scored two of those big buckets in a 9-2 Knicks spurt that put them up 109-104 with 1:23 left on the clock.
There was still time left though for the Bobcats to make one last push. On the next possession, Charlotte's Richardson was fouled and went to the line and knocked down a one of two free throws. An offensive rebound by Carroll gave the Bobcats another opportunity. Felton missed a layup, but Okafor was there for the putback to pull the Bobcats to within two.
Charlotte’s defense held tough, forcing Jones into a miss on the other end. Charlotte had one last chance to get the win or send the game into overtime. Jared Dudley found Okafor at the top of the key. Okafor dribbled and pulled up for a jumper, but his shot fell just short as New York snapped Charlotte’s four-game road winning streak with a 109-107 win.
“We got what we wanted,” said Vincent. “We knew they were going to chase hard on J (Jason Richardson). We knew they were going to chase hard on Matt (Carroll). We had Mek (Emeka Okafor) sealed at the rim to flash back to the ball and be able to catch and finish”.

Charlotte played the game all the way to the final buzzer. After struggling at times in the first half, the Bobcats put together a much better showing in the third quarter, going 12-18 from the field in the third period. The play of Richardson and Carroll during that quarter helped the Bobcats put together their rally. Richardson scored 11 of his game-high 25 points in the third while Carroll tallied 10 of his 17 points in the frame.
In the fourth quarter, the Bobcats took advantage of their size going down to Okafor. He responded by scoring 10 of his 24 points in the final 12 minutes.

There were several stretches where the Bobcats struggled during the first half. Charlotte opened the game making just two of their first 10 shots and then had a 4:20 stretch in the second quarter where they went without a field goal. During the Bobcats slump in the second quarter, New York built their largest lead, a 19-point advantage. Charlotte faced a tough task as they had to dig their way out of that hole.
“We did a good job coming back in the game,” said Richardson. “We didn’t come out well in the first quarter. We exerted a lot of energy in the second half trying to play catch up.”
Jamal Crawford led the Knicks in scoring with 18, but it was New York’s bench that played a major part in helping them get the win. The Knicks’ bench outscored Charlotte’s bench 54-14. Jones had 15 on 5-of-8 shooting and a perfect 5-of-5 from three-point range while Wilson Chandler added 12 and Nate Robinson posted 11 coming off the pine.

Raymond Felton continues to develop into a leader for the Bobcats. Tonight he helped guide Charlotte back into the game with 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting. He also added six rebounds and eight assists and a steal.

Over the last several games, Felton has been putting up numbers that would help anyone who has him on their roster for the playoffs.
Richardson also had a good night posting his fourth double-double of the season with 25 points and 10 rebounds tonight.

The Bobcats again struggled on the boards. New York outrebounded Charlotte 51 to 44 and 19 to 13 on the offensive glass.
“We came back but we have to rebound a lot better,” said Richardson “There are a lot of things that we learn in these games, especially toughness.”

“We got a lead late, but New York came back and made some tough shots and were able to get the win," said Vincent. "I was proud of the guys, the way they fought and continued to play the game all the way to the end.”

BOBCATS: Sean May (right knee surgery), Adam Morrison (torn left ACL), Othella Harrington (left knee discomfort), Derek Anderson (lateral back pain), Gerald Wallace (left groin strain)
KNICKS: Eddy Curry (small vertical cartilage tear, right knee), Jerome James (sore right knee), Stephon Marbury (left ankle bone spurs)

Saturday, April 12 - Bobcats at Indiana Pacers - 7:00 p.m.
TV - FSN South; Radio - WOLS OLDIES 106.1 FM