76ers-Bobcats Preview

By MATT BECKER
Posted Feb 12 2012 4:29PM

After needing 45 games to get 20 wins last season, the Philadelphia 76ers are in position to do it in 16 fewer if they can beat the Charlotte Bobcats.

That doesn't seem like it should be a problem.

The 76ers look to become the fourth team to 20 victories Monday night when they visit the scuffling Bobcats, who are mired in a franchise-record 14-game losing streak.

Philadelphia (19-9) is atop the Atlantic Division and arrives in Charlotte after defeating Cleveland 99-84 on Saturday. Jrue Holiday had 20 points to lead six players in double figures as the 76ers rebounded from their first consecutive losses of the season.

"It was really important to end it now," said Holiday, second on the team with 13.9 points per game. "We wish we could have ended it after one game, but that didn't happen."

The Sixers appear to have a good chance to make it two straight by visiting the Bobcats (3-24), who they beat 89-72 on Jan. 27. Louis Williams, who averages a team-best 15.7 points, scored 17, while Holiday added 15 and Jodie Meeks chipped in 14 as Philadelphia led by as many as 30.

Those kinds of deficits have been common for the Bobcats.

After losing to Chicago 95-64 on Friday, Charlotte fell behind by as many as 34 in Saturday's 111-86 loss to the Clippers, establishing a new franchise record with its 14th straight defeat. The Bobcats, winless since beating Golden State on Jan. 14, have been outscored by an average of 24.9 points in their last six games.

"We're just not playing hard as a group," said Corey Maggette, who on Saturday made his first start since a hamstring strain sidelined him in early January. "We're just not doing the right things right. Ultimately we need to make shots. We're shooting like 32 percent as a group and that's not going to cut it, especially against a good team."

The Bobcats are averaging 77.3 points and 37.2 percent shooting in their last six and will likely have another tough time offensively against Philadelphia.

The Sixers are one of the league's top defensive teams, allowing an average of 86.7 points and 41.7 percent shooting. They limited Charlotte to 38.6 percent from the field last month.

Making matters even worse for the Bobcats is they're once again expected to be without both Gerald Henderson and D.J. Augustin.

Henderson, who averages a team-best 15.0 points, is nursing a strained right hamstring, while Augustin, second on the team with 13.6 points per game, has missed 10 straight with an inflamed big toe.

Rookie Kemba Walker is shouldering more of the offensive load in their absence. He had 19 points Saturday and a team-best 14 in Philadelphia in January.

Still, the loss of their two leading scorers is only making things harder for the league's lowest-scoring team (86.3 ppg).

"You know, and I never make excuses but the fact is that 30 of our points are sitting on the bench," coach Paul Silas said. "We don't have 30 points and if you take 30 points off anybody's roster, it's going to be tough. ... It's a real problem."

The Sixers, who have significantly more scoring balance, could again be without Spencer Hawes, one of their eight players averaging at least 9.0 points. The 7-foot-1 center has sat out the last three games with a strained left Achilles.

76ers send Bobcats to 15th straight loss

By STEVE REED
Posted Feb 14 2012 12:56AM

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) When the Philadelphia 76ers needed a spark, there was a familiar face on hand to provide it.

Lou Williams, who has developed into perhaps the NBA's most dangerous sixth man, scored 23 points off the bench as the 76ers built an early lead and held on to send the Charlotte Bobcats to their 15th straight defeat, 98-89 on Monday night.

If Williams continues on this pace, he'll become the first NBA player since Dell Curry of the Charlotte Hornets to lead his team in scoring despite not starting a game.

Over the past five games, Williams is averaging 19.8 points per game off the bench.

He stayed hot Monday night, making several big shots including a 3-pointer with 6:11 remaining after the Bobcats had pulled to within 71-69. He also hit a 3-pointer in the final minute to seal Philadelphia's second straight win.

"We have this saying that you have a starring role on this team, no matter what that role is," Williams said. "I've been able to do that and give us a spark. It's been one of my better years. I've been very pleased with the role I've been playing."

Williams' effort off the bench has become so commonplace that his teammates don't think twice about it anymore.

"He always puts the crowd to sleep," said Thaddeus Young, who added 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting. "Anytime we're (on the road) he always puts the crowd to sleep with a big 3 or a couple of those little floaters he's knocking down in the lane, or just any way of scoring. He always seems to amaze everybody and he brings the show."

Corey Maggette scored a season-high 22 points for Charlotte (3-25), but it wasn't enough to snap the longest losing streak in franchise history. The loss drops the Bobcats' winning percentage below that of the 1972-73 76ers, who finished with the worst record ever in the NBA at 9-72.

Still, after blowout losses to Los Angeles and Chicago the Bobcats left the arena encouraged.

"We had a better effort tonight," Maggette said. "Tonight, we played better and we actually had a chance. For us, that's a step in the right direction."

Kemba Walker added 21 points and Reggie Williams chipped in with 14 for Charlotte.

The game took on a familiar theme early on for the Bobcats.

For the third straight game, the Bobcats shot less than 34 percent from the field in the first quarter and found themselves behind by double digits. Jrue Holiday scored Philadelphia's first eight points of the game after hitting his first four shots from the field as the 76ers jumped out to a 28-17 lead.

But the 76ers were not able to distance themselves from the Bobcats, who finally started making some plays on defense.

"One thing we haven't been doing this year is trusting each other," Walker said. "Today, we trusted each other in rotations and then we made steals."

The Bobcats clawed back to within two with 6:11 left in the game after a pair of defensive stops and back-to-back 3-pointers by Walker, one of them coming on a shot so off-balanced Walker couldn't help but crack a smile and shake his head in disbelief as he jogged back down the court.

"I ain't never seen that many (running 3s)," Young said. "Like I said, he's a great player. He can go out there and get 20 on any given night. We know what type of player he is. It's just about containing him and making him take tough shots like that. Sometimes he's going to make it, sometimes not."

"It's no surprise Michael Jordan loves a guy like that," 76ers coach Doug Collins said. "He has absolutely no fear."

But seconds later, Williams knocked home a 3-pointer from the wing to quell the rally. The Bobcats never mounted a challenge after that as the 76ers outscored the Bobcats 18-10 down the stretch.

Once again, the Bobcats were dominated in the paint, where the 76ers scored 42 of their points.

Collins believes the Bobcats' losing streak will end soon.

"When they get Gerald Henderson back, get D.J. Augustin back, they're going to start winning some games," Collins said.

Bobcats coach Paul Silas said Augustin will play Wednesday at Minnesota and hopes Henderson could be back by the end of the week.

"I keep saying that once we get everybody back, we're going to be good," Silas said. "We had a 20-point scorer tonight in Corey Maggette and that's the first time we've had a 20 point scorer in I don't know when. So, if you give me back 15 from D.J. Augustin and 15 from Gerald Henderson, that's 30 points we're missing. I think we'll be a lot better."

Notes: Boris Diaw had 10 assists for the Bobcats. ... Curry is now a television color analyst for the Bobcats. ... Andre Iguodala came in shooting 40.2 percent from 3-point range this season, but was 0 for 3 against the Bobcats.

Notebook: Sixers 98, Bobcats 89

Posted Monday February 13, 2012 10:49PM

By Derek S. Smith, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Lou Williams scored a game-high 23 points off the bench while Thaddeus Young added 20 to propel the Philadelphia 76ers past the struggling Charlotte Bobcats 98-89 Monday night at Time Warner Cable Arena. Corey Maggette scored 22 for the Bobcats, who have now lost a franchise record 15 consecutive games.

QUOTABLE: "Thad (Young) gave us a huge lift when we needed it and Lou (Williams) did a great job off the bench again. The guys who are doing it are the guys who are going to be out there. The bench was playing well and so we went with it. I knew this was going to be a very tough game out there."
-- Philadelphia coach Doug Collins

THE STAT: Bench scoring. The Sixers are second in the league in scoring from the bench. Philadelphia's two leading scorers tonight did not start. Lou Williams had 23 points and Thaddeus Young had 20. The reserves combined to score 23-of-27 points for Philadelphia in the pivotal fourth quarter. Overall, the Sixers bench scored 55 points compared to only 23 from the Bobcats reserves. On the season the Sixers average 43.3 points off the bench.

TURNING POINT: Costly turnovers. The Bobcats had the chance to tie the game or take the lead late in the third quarter, but Matt Carroll lost the ball on a drive to the basket with 4.5 seconds left. He then proceeded to pick up a loose ball foul that extended the Sixers lead to four points.

HOT: Young scored 20 points on just nine shot attempts. He made six field goals and then was 8-for-9 from the free throw line. Young also added six rebounds. He's been in double figures in five of the last six games. Young had made 62.5 percent over the last four games and are 2-1 when he scores 20 or more points.

NOT: The Charlotte offense. The Bobcats are last in the league in points and scoring margin having been outscored by an average of 14.4 points per game this season. The Bobcats have yet to crack the 90-point barrier in February and are averaging just 80.3 points over the last six games.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Duke assistant coach Chris Collins and his son Ryan were in attendance from Durham to watch Philadelphia and head coach Collins.

ROOKIE WATCH: Kemba Walker scored 21 points and added five assists for the Bobcats. Walker averaged 16.3 points over the most recent three-game stretch for the Bobcats and added 14 assists while committing just two turnovers. It was the fifth game of 20 or more for Walker and his 12th time in double figures in the last 17 games.

NOTABLE: Maggette recorded season highs with 22 points and three steals. ... Boris Diaw had a season-best 10 assists. ... Reggie Williams netted 14 points and scored in double figures for the third time in five games. ... Nikola Vucevic grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds. ... Williams scored 20-plus points for the eighth time this season. ... the Sixers are first in the NBA in scoring defense. ... Philadelphia has committed 11 or fewer turnovers in each of the past 10 games (76 total).

UP NEXT: For the Sixers, Wednesday @ Orlando, Friday vs. Dallas, Sunday @ Minnesota. For the Bobcats, Wednesday @ Minnesota, Friday @ Toronto, Sunday @ Indiana.

• 76ers: Brackins
• Bobcats: Augustin, Henderson

• 76ers: --
• Bobcats: --

• Lead Changes: 5
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, NC
• Officials: #17 Joe Crawford, #27 Dick Bavetta, #28 Tommy Nunez Jr.
• Attendance: 13773
• Duration: 2:14