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Charlotte showed on Friday in Houston that the All-Star break might not come soon enough for a worn-down Bobcats squad.

Bobcats General Manager & Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff has spoken often in the past few days on the toll the Bobcats schedule has taken on his team, and it was evident in their 104-83 loss to the Rockets at Toyota Center.

In the past four and a half weeks, Charlotte has been playing four games each week, including back-to-back contests on Fridays and Saturdays for five straight weeks – with none of those sets coming with both games on the Bobcats home court.

Completing this stretch of 18 games in 30 days, Charlotte got off to a fast start in Houston, but was once again left in the Rockets wake by game’s end.

The Rockets – who disposed of the Bobcats by 30 points on December 8 in Charlotte – were able to weather an 0-9 start from the field and overcome and early 16-5 deficit to hand the Bobcats their fourth consecutive lost and third straight overall to Houston.

Emeka Okafor (15 points, 12 rebounds) finished with the Bobcats only double-double, while Raymond Felton (16), Matt Carroll (12) and little-used Walter Herrmann (12) all totaled double-digits, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

A night removed from a heartbreaking 108-100 overtime loss to Portland at Charlotte Bobcats Arena, Charlotte seemed outmatched against an enraged Rockets squad. Houston tied a season low in points scored in its largest deficit of the season at Dallas on Friday, 95-74. For that reason alone, Houston seemed poised for an offensive outburst.

The Bobcats were unable to match the Rockets hunger and energy, committing 27 turnovers (two off the franchise-high 29 they had on November 12 against Denver), which led directly to 32 Rockets points.

"They got it going and we weren't hitting our shots. They are a tough team with so many weapons, and it is hard to come back on them."
-- Guard Raymond Felton

Gerald Wallace – who was stellar in a 30-point, 15 rebound effort on Friday – committed a season-high seven turnovers while six other Bobcats were guilty of multiple infractions. Wallace tallied five assists and four rebounds in 29 minutes, but scored only four points on 1-7 shooting. It was the first time in 14 games since returning from a separated shoulder that he didn’t score at least 12 points.

Wallace’s struggles were predicated on Houston’s constant double teams and shot blocking ability down low. The Rockets sagged their defense towards the basket, almost daring Wallace and the Bobcats shooters to drill perimeter shots. In the end it worked despite Charlotte’s respectable 44.6 shooting percentage (33-74) from the field and 58.3 percentage (7-12) from behind the arc.

Houston exploded to a 19-point lead with 9:07 left in the third quarter and maintained that for nearly the entire quarter. On one sequence, 40-year old Dikembe Mutombo wagged his trademarked finger after he stuffed a Wallace drive, which led to an easy transition finger roll for Juwan Howard.

The fatigued Bobcats unloaded their bench in the fourth quarter, resting the weary starters who played marathon minutes during six games in the past nine days. All 12 players on the active roster logged at least six minutes and 10 Bobcats scored two or more points.

Charlotte surged out of the gate, scoring the game’s first seven points, en route to the early 16-5 lead. While Houston erred in its first nine shots, the Bobcats drained their first four three-pointers, with Felton connecting on three treys – after going 2-12 in the last three games – in the opening five minutes.

Charlotte (18-33) looked ready to exact revenge on the Rockets – who held the Bobcats to a franchise-low 62 points in its last meeting – and get its eighth win in the second game of 12 back-to-backs this season.

But Charlotte cooled, in part to two quick Okafor fouls, and trailed by one at the conclusion of the first quarter. Houston continued to stifle the Bobcats interior defense in the second frame, twice opening up 14-point advantages, including a 60-46 halftime lead.

Luther Head (17 points) paced the balanced Rockets attack as Howard (16), Tracy McGrady (16), Kirk Snyder (15), Alston (14) and Mutombo (14) all totaled double-figures. Mutombo, filling in for the injured Yao Ming, added 14 rebounds and a season-high four steals.

Sean May was hoping to play for the just third time in the past 14 games, but additional soreness in his right knee kept him on the sidelines and is expected to delay his return until after the All-Star Break.

The Bobcats head back to Charlotte for a rare three days rest to prep for Chicago at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Charlotte Bobcats Arena. Get your tickets now.

NOTES: With a 104-83 win tonight, the Rockets took their first-ever season sweep of the Bobcats. The two teams split the series in 2005-06, and Houston was the only team Charlotte swept in its inaugural season of 2004-05. The Rockets won the first game this season, 92-62, at Charlotte (12/8/06), giving Houston a 25.5 average margin of victory in its two wins over the Bobcats in 2006-07... Raymond Felton tied his career high in three-pointers made with a 4-6 performance from beyond the arc. Overall, he led the Bobcats with 16 points... Emeka Okafor posted his 31st double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

INSIDE THE LOCKER ROOM
Bobcats Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff
(On the game) Houston played well. We had a good seven or eight minutes to start the game and then when we went to our bench, there was no production at all. They distributed the ball well and hit their open shots. Our turnovers were a combination of fatigue and a number of things.

(On Dikembe Mutombo's play) The big guy still understands the game and who he is. He gets to the paint and he knows how to pay-off when he is inside. I'm so proud of the years he has put in. His durability and understanding of the game is amazing. On loose balls he was running them down and getting his position inside. He really understands the position of the paint and he disrupts the whole game. He understands his strengths and weaknesses.

Forward Emeka Okafor
(On Dikembe Mutombo's play) (Dikembe) Mutombo was getting all the loose boards and easy put-backs. He was making it tough on our guys to score inside.

(On the Rockets play) Houston played pretty good D. Their rotations were pretty good. It would have helped if we had made more shots. They play true team basketball and you can't ask for much more.

Guard Brevin Knight
(On the key to the game) Turnovers and we didn't make shots - that leads to a big loss. They played well enough to win and we shot ourselves in the foot.

(On the Rockets) Their strength is they are a good defensive team. And they showed that tonight.