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On Tuesday at Charlotte Bobcats Arena, it was Charlotte that looked like it belonged atop the Southeast Division standings instead of Washington. In handing the likely playoff-bound Wizards a 20-point embarrassment, the Bobcats ensured Washington wasn’t worthy of the division lead.

Charlotte thumped the slumping Wizards 122-102 on Tuesday at Charlotte Bobcats Arena. The Bobcats earned their second win over Washington in 10 all-time tries and have now won five of their last eight.

Washington, playing it’s first game without first-time All-Star Caron Butler, has dropped five of its last seven and coupled with Miami’s win over Toronto on Tuesday, relinquished the Southeast Division lead.

Gerald Wallace was “amazing” according to his coach and finished with a game-high 34 points, the eighth time he’s scored 30-plus points this season. Shooting 16-24 from the field, Wallace broke his own mark for the fifth-highest point total in franchise history. He added 14 rebounds, three shy of his career-high, during a game-high 44 minutes to notch his 14th double-double of the season.

Wallace also received consistent help from all eight Bobcats that played. All five starters scored in double-figures for the first time since February 28. Reserve forward Jake Voskuhl added 13 points while point guards Raymond Felton and Brevin Knight combined for 26 assists.

Washington cut the fourth 12 in the fourth quarter, but Matt Carroll’s baseline trey with 8:33 left virtually sealed the game. The Wizards didn’t get within single digits throughout the second half.

“Last game, against Toronto, we got off to a slow start and we were playing catch-up the whole time,” Wallace said. “Tonight we didn’t want to get off to a bad start. We wanted to go out and make them chase us for awhile.”

Emeka Okafor dominated Washington’s lackluster frontcourt with 17 points (in the first half) and 13 rebounds while helping give the Bobcats an 18-point advantage in the paint.

"We didn’t want to get off to a bad start. We wanted to go out and make them chase us for a while."
-- Gerald Wallace

“We tried to make some plays in the paint and didn’t get it done,” said Wizards Head Coach Eddie Jordan. “It was a poor, poor performance tonight.”

Walter Herrmann continued his emergence, following his Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month announcement on Monday, with 21 points on 8-11 shooting. He sank four of five treys and consistently pestered Antawn Jamison of the defensive end.

Jamison shot 3-16 and scored six points, his lowest total since January 30 when he suffered a knee injury that sidelined him throughout February. He also failed to make a trip to the free throw line.

While Jamison struggled, Charlotte’s offense clicked on virtually every cylinder. Felton scored 17 points and added 14 assists, mostly on high pick-and-rolls. Carroll added 11 points, while Knight dished out 12 assists in 25 minutes.

“Our points were coming off the second or third pass,” said Charlotte General Manager & Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff. “That’s basically what we wanted to do. If you look at Walter, he was coming off of the last option. You have to take the shots, but we didn’t want to take the first shot and let them get out in the open court.”

During a sequence midway through the third quarter, Felton found Herrmann on a backdoor cut for a reverse layup. On the ensuing possession, Wallace emphatically rejected Etan Thomas, leading to a fast break and Carroll’s 15-foot baseline jumper to extend the lead to 74-53.

Gilbert Arenas paced Washington with 33 points, but shot just 11-26 from the field and 4-11 from beyond the arc. Thomas had a season-high 17 points, but six of them were within the last five minutes when the game’s outcome was clearly decided.

The Wizards jumped out to an early five-point first quarter lead, but relinquished 14 consecutive points from Charlotte, capped by Okafor’s transition slam. The Wizards briefly switched to zone defense, but couldn’t halt the Bobcats interior, who helped build the lead to 34-27 after the first quarter.

Washington cut the lead to three when former Wake Forest University star Darius Songaila nailed a turnaround jumper at the top of the key, but Charlotte’s interior dominated for the rest of the half. The Bobcats used a 15-2 spurt during a seven-minute span to gain a 63-45 halftime advantage.

Okafor and Wallace were each one rebound shy of a double-double in the first 24 minutes, and while Arenas had 20 points at the intermission, no other Wizards player scored more than six. The Bobcats held a 34-14 first half advantage in the paint and held Washington without a fast break point.

“When we don’t get on a roll, we have a tendency to get a little down on ourselves instead of playing through it,” said DeShawn Stevenson, who celebrated his 26th birthday with 17 points. “We played well in the first quarter, but after that, no one seemed to take the challenge of stopping someone.”

The teams now head to Washington for a rare home-and-home set. The Bobcats Watch Party Tour presented by Bud Light makes its final stop of the season at Vinnie’s Southside Sardine for Wednesday night’s broadcast starting at 7:00 pm on News 14, so come out and support your Bobcats