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Related: Box Score | Photo Gallery | Devlin & Calderon Pre-Game Top Plays: Davis 'And-1' | Bargnani To The Rack | JJ's Bounce Pass | Steal To Slam Post Game: Game Highlights | Dwane Casey | Andrea Bargnani | DeMar DeRozan
April 3, 2012
TORONTO (CP) When the three-point shot stopped falling, Andrea Bargnani settled into the post to take advantage of a favourable matchup down low.
Bargnani had a game-high 30 points and hit the pivotal jumper with 26.9 seconds remaining as Toronto defeated the Charlotte Bobcats 92-87 Tuesday night, giving the Raptors consecutive victories for the first time since Jan. 23-25.
More astonishingly, it also gave Toronto its first back-to-back wins at the Air Canada Centre since Dec. 1-3, 2010 -- a span of 59 home games.
With the Raptors (19-35) ahead 88-87 following a long D.J. Augustin three-pointer, Bargnani drove and hit a turnaround hook shot over Byron Mullens for his eighth and ninth points of the quarter.
Mullens then airballed a three-point attempt and Bargnani finished things off with free throws, helping Toronto polish off an impressive 3-2 homestand.
Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said the call to send Bargnani into the paint came after he had struggled from beyond 20 feet for most of the night
``I thought his outside shot wasn't really falling so we tried to mix it up, give him the balance of inside and outside,'' Casey said. ``He did a great job of getting his back to the basket and going at Mullens in the post.''
RAPTORS REMARKS
Bargnani said he doesn't mind drifting in from the perimeter if the situation calls for it.
``I feel comfortable either inside or outside, it depends on who's guarding me,'' said Bargnani, who shot 11-for-22 from the floor and scored the Raptors' final nine points of the game. ``Coach is very good at finding the right situation, either inside or outside.''
DeMar DeRozan scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half, driving to the hoop with regularity after being held to just two shots in the opening 24 minutes.
``I said, 'We're going to get you going in the second half,' and he did,'' said Casey. ``He did a great job of attacking again, (of finding) balance between attacking and outside shots and did a great job for us in the third quarter.''
Mullens led the way with 20 points for the Bobcats (7-44), who have dropped eight straight. Augustin chipped in with 18 after being a late scratch from the starting lineup with right knee tendinitis.
Bobcats rookie guard Kemba Walker said Bargnani's performance, particularly down the stretch, made the difference.
``Every time we made a shot, he came down and made a big play,'' said Walker. ``That was really the key to their win.''
BY THE NUMBERS
As with Sunday's victory over the Washington Wizards, Casey found plenty of areas for improvement -- beginning with the 17 offensive rebounds his club allowed to a Bobcats team that ranks fourth-last in the NBA in that category. But he applauded his team's efforts in holding Charlotte to just 40.3 per cent from the field.
``I thought everybody came into tonight, fought and scrapped,'' he said.
Notes: Toronto entered the night third in the Eastern Conference in shooting percentage since the all-star break, connecting at a 46.1-per cent clip. Only Milwaukee (46.7) and Boston (46.2) have been more proficient. ... Raptors F Gary Forbes (sore left knee) was active but did not play. ... Casey said prior to the game that he and Toronto C Jamaal Magloire celebrated Kentucky's victory over Kansas in Monday's NCAA men's national championship game. Casey helped the Wildcats win the 1978 title, while Magloire was part of the 1998 championship team. ... Bobcats F Tyrus Thomas got the worst of a mid-court collision with Raptors PG Ben Uzoh in the final seconds of the third quarter. Thomas, who suffered a jaw injury on the play, remained on the floor for a couple of minutes before teammates Bismack Biyombo and Corey Maggette helped him to his feet. He did not return.