Bobcats-Raptors Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Apr 02 2012 1:17PM

The Toronto Raptors have a 10th opportunity this season to win back-to-back home games for the first time since 2010.

Even a visit from the league-worst Charlotte Bobcats is no guarantee the Raptors can finally accomplish that feat.

Toronto looks to avoid a seventh consecutive loss in this series - and third this season - Tuesday night when the Bobcats go for their first victory since their last meeting with the Raptors.

Since winning Dec. 1 and 3, 2010, the Raptors (18-35) have gone 20-38 at Air Canada Centre, failing to win two in a row.

The Raptors had great balance in Sunday's 99-92 home win over Washington, with eight players scoring at least eight points, but coach Dwane Casey needs to see a better overall defensive effort. Toronto's last four opponents are averaging 104.5 points on 50.2 percent shooting.

"That's going to be our challenge as a staff, to keep tuned defensively the rest of the way and not lose what foundation we have," Casey said.

The Bobcats (7-43) could stand in the way of that happening Tuesday.

Charlotte is scoring a league-low 87.9 points per game on 41.6 percent shooting - also worst in the NBA - but coach Paul Silas' team has shot at least 50 percent and averaged 102.5 points in two wins over the Raptors this season.

The Bobcats could use another effort like that after blowing an eight-point lead in the final two minutes of regulation in Saturday's 110-107 OT loss at Detroit.

"We weren't really pushing it as fast as we were the first three quarters," forward Byron Mullens said after scoring 20 points and grabbing nine rebounds. "I think we were stuck on 80 (points) for a while and then they finally got it going, but it's something we learn from. We slowed the ball down. We were up - we just got to keep our foot on the pedal."

The Bobcats, losers of seven straight since a 107-103 home win over Toronto on March 17, will have to seriously pick up the pace this month to avoid posting the worst winning percentage in franchise history. The club went 18-64 during its 2004-05 inaugural season.

Corey Maggette, the team leader with 37 points against the Raptors this season, will be unavailable Tuesday after suffering a strained right Achilles' in Friday's 99-88 loss to Denver.

With Maggette out, swingman Reggie Williams should make a second consecutive start. Williams hit four 3-pointers and scored a season-best 22 points in a 98-91 win at Toronto on Feb. 17.

DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with 24 points in that contest as they dropped their third in a row at home against the Bobcats.

Toronto's last victory in this series was 103-101 in Charlotte on March 29, 2010.

Bargnani leads Raptors past Bobcats

Posted Apr 03 2012 11:08PM

TORONTO (AP) Andrea Bargnani had an answer for everything the Charlotte Bobcats did in the fourth quarter.

Bargnani scored 11 of his 30 points in the fourth, DeMar DeRozan had 20 and the Toronto Raptors beat Charlotte 92-87 Tuesday night, snapping a six-game losing streak to the lowly Bobcats.

"Every time we made a shot, (Bargnani) came down and made a big play," Bobcats guard Kemba Walker said. "That was really the key to their win."

Bargnani scored Toronto's final nine points and the Raptors won back-to-back games for the first time since road victories at Phoenix on Jan. 24 and Utah on Jan. 25. Toronto had gone 0-10 in games following victories since those wins.

"Andrea and DeMar carried us down the stretch," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said.

The 30 points were the most by Bargnani since he returned March 20 after a 20-game absence caused by a strained left hamstring.

"I feel better," he said. "Every day I get better. I just have to keep working and keep playing hard."

Linas Kleiza scored 18 points and Jose Calderon added 11 assists for Toronto, which beat Washington 99-92 on Sunday night to post consecutive home wins for the first time since Dec. 1 and 3, 2010.

"We were 0-2 against (Charlotte) so it was a great win for us," Bargnani said.

Byron Mullens had 20 points and a career-high 14 rebounds and D.J. Augustin scored 18 points and Charlotte lost its eighth straight. The Bobcats have not won since a home victory over the Raptors on March 17.

"If you want to be a good team in this league, you're going to have to win games at the end," Charlotte's Gerald Henderson said. "We just came up a little bit short."

Derrick Brown had 12 points and Walker scored 10 for the Bobcats, whose 7-44 record is the NBA's worst.

Walker started in place of Augustin, who has been bothered by tendinitis in his right knee and was forced to miss Monday's practice. For Walker, it was his first start since Feb. 15. That was also the last time Augustin came off the bench, as he returned after missing 11 games with a sore toe.

Bobcats coach Paul Silas praised Mullens for his hard work on the boards.

"He just continues to amaze me," Silas said. "Twenty points and 14 rebounds, I don't think anybody would have guessed he could have done that. He just has to keep doing it. I'm very pleased with him. He's playing a lot better than I ever thought he could."

After his driving dunk cut it to 79-73 with 4:38 left, Mullens was fouled on the next possession and had a chance to cut the gap to four, but missed both free throws.

Ed Davis answered with a layup and was fouled, but failed to convert the three-point play. Charlotte answered with a 6-0 run, cutting it to 81-79 with 2:44 left.

DeRozan stopped the run with a pair of free throws before Mullens and Bargnani twice traded jump shots, first two-point baskets and then a pair of 3s.

After a Charlotte timeout, Augustin hit a 3 over Calderon to make it a one-point game, 88-87, with 40 seconds left.

Toronto gave the ball to Bargnani, who held off Mullens to hit a turnaround hook shot with 26 seconds to go, putting the Raptors up 90-87.

"I feel comfortable either inside or outside," Bargnani said. "Coach is very good at finding the right situation, either inside or outside."

Mullens tried a game-tying 3 but his airball went out of bounds, giving possession back to the Raptors.

"I just rushed it," a disappointed Mullens said. "It was open, it was there. I just didn't give it enough."

Bargnani was fouled with 8 seconds left and sealed it by making both free throws.

"He's tough man," Henderson said of Bargnani. "He's just a really good player."

Charlotte scored the game's first six points but it wasn't in front for long. Bargnani and James Johnson each scored seven points in the first, and Kleiza's jumper with six seconds left gave Toronto a 24-22 lead after one.

Kleiza hit four 3-pointers in the second and Bargnani added eight points to give Toronto a 53-46 lead at the half.

DeRozan scored 10 of Toronto's 18 points in the third quarter and the Raptors maintained their seven-point edge, taking a 71-64 lead into the fourth.

Charlotte's Corey Maggette dressed but did not play and remains sidelined with a sore right Achilles. He's expected to miss Wednesday's game at Atlanta.

NOTES: Toronto F Gary Forbes was scratched with soreness in his left knee. ... Charlotte's Tyrus Thomas injured his jaw in a collision with Raptors G Ben Uzoh in the final second of the third quarter and did not return. Thomas stayed down and was treated on the court before being helped off the floor and walking to the locker room. ... Calderon has recorded double digits in assists in six of the past seven games. ... Rapper Young Jeezy attended the game.

Notebook: Raptors 92, Bobcats 87

Posted Tuesday April 3, 2012 11:17PM

By Duane Watson, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: The Toronto Raptors (19-35) defeated the Charlotte Bobcats (7-44) 92-87 on Tuesday night at the Air Canada Centre, winning back-to-back home games for the first time since December 2010. The win caps off a 5-game homestand where they went 3-2 and also halted a six game losing streak to the Bobcats. In a gritty and not necessarily pretty affair with 14,640 seemingly uninterested fans until the final stretch, the game went played out as one would expect from two of the poorer teams in the league.

Andrea Bargnani scored a game-high 30 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter leading his team to an 11-17 record at home. But Charlotte's Byron Mullens made it a battle of the big men with his 20 points and career-best 14 rebounds, making a key block and trading baskets with Bargnani down the stretch. However, Mullens' 3-point shot to tie the game at 90 with 12 seconds on the clock air-balled and Bargnani subsequently knocked down both free throws to make it 92-87. Bargnani scored the last nine Raptors points and handed Charlotte their eighth loss in a row.

DeMar DeRozan scored 20 points for the Raptors and Linas Kleiza came off the bench to add 18, Jose Calderon added a game-high 11 assists. D.J. Augustin came off the Charlotte bench and added 18 points and 7 assists along with Derrick Brown's 12 points and six rebounds. Kemba Walker was the only other starter in double digits with 10 points and 7 assists.

QUOTABLE: "We were 0-2 against this team, so it was a great win for us. In the fourth quarter they came back again and with our defense and offense made it through."
-- Raptors forward Bargnani

THE STAT: The Bobcats shot .403 from the field on 31-for-77 shooting and .333 per cent from the 3-point line. You can't shoot that poorly and expect to win, which is clearly indicative of the Bobcats season.

TURNING POINT: The Raptors lead for much of the game but the contest was always within reach for the Bobcats. With only four a point Raptors lead with under a minute left, Augustin's deep 3-point shot at 40 seconds brought the game to within 1 making it 87-88. But Bargnani's turn around jumper In the paint with 26 seconds left put the Raptors up 90-87 and was the go ahead basket.

QUOTABLE II: "I think when it comes down to me and Andrea, I kinda play off him a lot. He had it going in the first half and we kept going to him and in the second half, they started focusing on him more and I just picked up and tried to be aggressive and help us score.
-- Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan

HOT: Bargnani scored 11 of the Raptors 21 points in the fourth quarter. Making free throws, points from beyond the 3-point line and his crucial game go-ahead basket in the paint, he led the Raptors throughout the game scoring 30 in total and stepped up when it appeared the game was about to slip away.

BAD MOVE: Augustin checked into the game in the second quarter scoring 8 points and 3 assists. He made 4 consecutive uncontested drives to the basket, as Calderon was unable to keep up with him. Raptors head coach Dwane Casey didn't make an adjustment and Augustin made them pay for it.

NOTABLE: Charlotte won the season series 2-1. ... The Raptors have won back-to-back games for the first time since Jan. 24-25. ... Bargnani has scored 25+ points in three of the last four games. ... With the loss Charlotte falls to 3-24 on the road. ... Charlotte's reserves scored 40 points. ...Toronto committed 10 turnovers, one shy of it's season-low. ... Rapper Young Jeezy was in attendance for the game tonight.

UP NEXT: Toronto goes on the road on Wednesday @ Philadelphia, Friday vs. Cleveland and Sunday @ Oklahoma City. Charlotte continues on it's road swing on Wednesday @ Atlanta, on Friday they are @ Milwaukee and return home on Saturday vs. Atlanta.

• Bobcats: Diop
• Raptors: Bayless

• Bobcats: Silas
• Raptors: DeRozan

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON
• Officials: #48 Scott Foster, #45 Brian Forte, #40 Leon Wood
• Attendance: 14640
• Duration: 2:27