Recap: Win Ends Streak on MJ's Birthday

TURNING POINTS
In a tightly contested game, Charlotte was able to take a 48-46 lead going into the halftime, but it was Toronto that led 69-68 heading into the fourth quarter… The Bobcats would not be denied the victory as they started the fourth quarter with an 11-2 run to take the 79-71 lead with 8:45 remaining….Toronto cut the lead to two points on two different occasions, but that was as close as they got as Charlotte was able to shut the door on the Raptors and left Toronto with its first victory since January 14 against Golden State.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
The Bobcats continued to shoot the ball well from the field, connecting on 37-of-74 shots (50 percent), while holding the Raptors to just 35 of 84 (41.7 percent)… Charlotte did a great job not allowing Toronto to get easy points in the paint, recording eight blocked shots, with seven of them coming from Bismack Biyombo…. The point guard duo of D.J. Augustin (10) and Kemba Walker (8) did a great job of getting teammates involved as they combined for 18 assists…. Equally as impressive, is that they only combined to have four total turnovers, with Walker only turning the ball over once… The Bobcats also shot well from the freethrow line, as they went 18 of 23 (78.5 percent), while the Raptors struggled and shot 19 of 28 (67.5 percent). Charlotte was 6 of 10 (.600) from the free throw line through three quarters, but shot .923 (12 of 13) from the stripe in the fourth quarter.

BOBCATS PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Bismack Biyombo was all over the court as the rookie had 13 rebounds, to go with eight points and seven blocks. He was great all night around the rim, using his shot blocking to disrupt the Raptors and getting to the offensive glass for a host of putback dunks.

It didn’t take long for D.J. Augustin to shake off the rust. In only his second game back from a toe injury, he posted his third double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 assists in 32 minutes.

RAPTORS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Jose Calderon had a strong game at point for Toronto as he had 14 points, eight assists and two steals.

INSIDE THE LOCKER ROOM
"It was just wonderful to win. I think the bench came in and really gave us a lift. We played a hard game. Bismack (Biyombo) was outstanding and Reggie Williams got us started. Everybody really played hard and that’s what we expect, win, lose or draw, we have to play hard."
- Bobcats Head Coach Paul Silas

"First of all, we came out with a lot of energy. A lot of guys came in yesterday and practiced really hard. I was talking to the coaches about how much we really wanted this game and that we really need to get one. Coming into the game, I had a different mentality, and I came out with more energy and we got the win."
- Center Bismack Biyombo on his performance against the Raptors

GAME NOTES
Corey Maggette (16) and DJ White (10) joined Reggie Williams, D.J. Augustin and Kemba Walker in the double-figure scoring column… The Bobcats are improving on the boards as both teams had 44 total rebounds… Reggie Williams got off to a great start to keep Charlotte in the game early, scoring 14 points in the first quarter… Gerald Henderson was inactive due to his hamstring injury.

NEXT UP
The Bobcats will look to build off this victory as they travel to Indiana to take on Danny Granger and the Indiana Pacers. Opening tip is schedule for 6 p.m. on Sunday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Catch all the action on SportSouth and listen to us on WFNZ. Also, don’t forget to join the chat at bobcats.com.