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Kings comeback falls just short
By Ben Schneider January 18, 2010 |
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Gerald Wallace paced the Bobcats with 28 points and Raymond Felton scored big down the stretch with 11 fourth-quarter points, as Charlotte held off a late charge from Sacramento to take a 105-103 decision at Time Warner Cable Arena. Felton ended with 17 points, a game-best 10 assists and nine rebounds for Charlotte, which has won the first five tests of a six-game residency and a franchise-best eight in a row at home. Boris Diaw chipped in 13 points and Flip Murray 12 as the Bobcats improved to 17-4 at home and will look to sweep their home-stand Wednesday against Miami. Tyreke Evans poured in 26 of his career-high 34 points in the second half and nearly got Sacramento only its second win in 10 games. The rookie guard out of Memphis hit 13-of-20 from the floor, sank 8-of-11 at the line, dished seven assists and almost single-handily led the Kings back from a 24-point second-half deficit. Andres Nocioni and Omri Casspi had 13 points apiece and Donte Greene checked in with 12 points and eight boards as the Kings lost their fourth straight to fall to 0-3 on a six-game road trip. Charlotte's lead grew to 24 on a Stephen Jackson three-ball and Wallace free throw with a little more than four minutes left in the third. Sacramento then ripped off the next 14 points, led by Evans' eight, and were within 84-72 heading to the fourth. Wallace buried a three to open the final stanza and the hosts were still up 14 with under eight minutes to play. But the Kings embarked on a game-changing 13-0 run to get within 91-90 with less than five minutes to play. After the Game Kings coach Paul Westphal talked about today's game, " There were two different teams out there between the first half and the second half. I'm proud of the second-half version. They did enough to get the win, unfortunately we didn't." Evans had scored 32 points at Utah on November 7.The Kings will also visit the Hawks, Magic and Heat on their east coast road swing and are just 3-16 away from ARCO Arena this season...Kevin Martin, who scored nine points for Sacramento, missed the fourth quarter with an undisclosed injury...Wallace limped off for Charlotte late in the fourth quarter and did not return. Udrih had 10 points and five helpers for Sacramento. Jackson ended with 11 points and five steals for the Bobcats. Kings F and former Bobcats first-round pick Sean May was inactive for the third straight game. He last played Dec. 12. “It’s tough and it’s a challenge, but the one thing I can say is I’m finally healthy,” he said. May was asked about his one year playing under Brown: “He’s a great coach, but we just didn’t mesh well.” |
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