Queen City Hoops

Bobcats vs Bulls Recap - By the Numbers

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST

Boxscore of Bobcats vs Bulls - 11/07/2009
Score: 93-90 Bulls
Bobcats Record: 3-3
Offensive Efficiency: 103.4
Defensive Efficiency: 104.5
Meritorious Player: Tough call - Boris Diaw had a decent night with 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists...but 6 turnovers. Raymond Felton led the Bobcats with a +/- of +11 and had 10 assists...but he shot just 5 of 17 from the floor. Tyson Chandler had 13 points on 5 of 8 shooting and 7 rebounds in 28 minutes...and a brutal -13 for the night as Joakim Noah posted a career high 21 points (and 16 rebounds was a good night's work). Pick one - they all had their faults tonight.

18 - 18 turnovers in an 87 possession game - 20.7% turnover rate. Boris had one of his nights as far miscues go, as he had similar games last season (see Not Again Boris).

-6 The Bobcats went -6 on the glass tonight, losing the battle of the boards 44-38.

15 offensive rebounds for the Bulls - none bigger than a Luol Deng miss that got swung around for a 3 for John Salmons, taking the Bulls lead from 1 to 4 with about 5 minutes left.

16 offensive rebounds for the Bobcats - and the tide turner was a fast break where Gerald Wallace missed a layup, Boris Diaw could not convert the follow up, and the Bulls scored on a layup at the other end. Instead of 72-61, it was 70-63, and the Bulls scored the next 14 points after that to take the lead (and ultimately the game).

9 rebounds for Gerald Wallace, continuing his early season dominance of the boards from the 3 position. Nice work, Crash (and the last rebound related numbers point of the post, I promise).

+3 - The Bobcats starting five was +3 for the game, when on the court all together, beating the Bulls 43-40 in just over 21 minutes of action. Promising.

With tonight's game, the starting 5 has become the Bobcats most used lineup of the season, with about 50 minutes played together. In that time, they are +20. That will do.

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Bobcats vs Bulls Preview

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST

Who: Charlotte Bobcats versus Chicago Bulls
What: NBA Basketball - Bulls Home Game
When: 11/07/2009 at 8pm EST
Where: Live at the United Center in the Windy City or on SportsSouth

The Matchup:

	Record	Offensive Efficiency	Defensive Efficiency	Pace
Charlotte	3-2	90.8 (30th)	92.5 (2nd)	89.6 (28th)
Chicago	3-2	95.6 (26th)	100.7 (8th)	91.9 (25th)

Injuries:
Charlotte: None
Atlanta: Tyrus Thomas - Out

Starting Lineups

	Bobcats	Bulls
PG	Raymond Felton	Derrick Rose
SG	Raja Bell	John Salmons
SF	Gerald Wallace	Luol Deng
PF	Boris Diaw	Taj Gibson
C	Tyson Chandler	Joakim Noah

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Bobcats vs Hawks Recap

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 13:30:00 EST

Charlotte Bobcats vs Atlanta Hawks - 11/06/2009 - Boxscore
Bobcats vs Hawks Recap - By the Numbers

This was bound to happen at some point, but kudos to the Bobcats for doing so against a playoff team that had been playing pretty well. It's clear Larry Brown didn't waste the four days he had to prepare for this one as there were plenty of nifty plays early to get the Bobcats struggling offense going. Raja Bell hit his first five shots and all of them were good clean looks or layups. Flip Murray was just what the doctor order for this struggling offense and will definitely help. At one point in the first half the Bobcats had assisted on 17 of their 24 made baskets, impressive win all around. The defense was also there although Atlanta's selfish play didn't help their cause much with only 10 assists on the night, but this was a Hawk club that came in with a top five offensive efficiency rating before the game.

3-0 start at home is a good way to start a march toward contention and despite the early injuries to Flip and Raja it seems that the Bobcats have weathered their first storm and come out an impressive 3-2 in their first five games. As great as this performance was it still screams outlier the same way that the opening 33 point drubbing in Boston does so Chicago will be a real test for this club.

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Bobcats vs Hawks Recap - By the Numbers

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 22:00:00 EST

Boxscore of Bobcats vs Hawks - 11/06/2009
Score: 103-83 Bobcats
Bobcats Record: 3-2
Offensive Efficiency: 112.0
Defensive Efficiency: 91.2
Meritorious Player: Raja Bell with 24 points on just 12 attempts from the field - 9 of 12 overall, 5 of 6 on threes, and 1 of 1 from the stripe. Raja also had 4 assists, 1 rebound, and 2 turnovers.

61.1% - I said things would start looking better once some threes started going down - but I did not expect it to happen so quickly. While Raja was white-hot, the rest of the team was still improved as well - 11 of 18 on treys overall, making the Bobcats not named Raja 6 of 12 - very nice work.

5.3 - That is how much the Bobcats offensive efficiency went up with tonight's performance, from 85.5 to 90.8. Yes, it is still last in the NBA, but they are now within sight of the rest of the league, with just 1.3 points separating them and the Nets.

15 turnovers was one of the few negatives on the night - there were only 92 possessions in this game, making a turnover rate of 16.3 (which would be 29th in the league for the season). The turnovers were a team effort, with all 5 starters with at least 2 and Gerald Wallace leading the way with 4.

-20.8 - That is how much the Bobcats held the Hawks under their season offensive efficiency (coming into tonight - the Hawks obviously dropped after getting shutdown by the Bobcats). In particular...

2x2 - Congrats to Tyson Chandler for his first double-double as a Bobcat, with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks in just 30 minutes of work. The Hawks only managed an efficiency of 75.4 while Tyson was manning the post.

6 Bobcats finished in double figures in scoring - Raja with 24 and then the other new addition was second, as Ronald Murray put in 15 in his debut (in just 18 minutes). Gerald and D.J. Augustin both had 11, plus Boris Diaw and Tyson with 10. Tonight was the kind of balanced attack the Bobcats are built for (for better and for worse).

55 to 35 That was the Bobcats advantage on the glass, with Gerald doing major work, finishing with 18. Boris also had a solid night with 9. At this early point in the season, the Bobcats are first in defensive rebound rate and second in offensive rebound rate.

It all adds up to a Bobcats win - their most complete and impressive one of this early season. What a difference a few triples can make.

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Bobcats vs Hawks Preview

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST

Who: Charlotte Bobcats versus Atlanta Hawks
What: NBA Basketball - Bobcats Home Game
When: 11/06/2009 at 7pm EST
Where: Live at Time Warner Cable Arena in the Queen City or on SportsSouth

The Matchup:

	Record	Offensive Efficiency	Defensive Efficiency	Pace
Charlotte	2-2	85.5 (30th)	92.8 (2nd)	88.4 (29th)
Atlanta	4-1	112.0 (4th)	107.1 (22nd)	96.0 (8th)

Injuries:
Charlotte: D.J. Augustin - DTD
Atlanta: None

Starting Lineups

	Bobcats	Hawks
PG	Raymond Felton	Mike Bibby
SG	Raja Bell	Joe Johnson
SF	Gerald Wallace	Marvin Williams
PF	Boris Diaw	Josh Smith
C	Tyson Chandler	Al Horford

A home game against a good but not great opponent - the type of game a playoff caliber squad should win. Hopeless optimism? No - the Bobcats have won 2 games they were supposed to and lost 2 games they were supposed to. This is the first game that is on the border and will provide better insight into where their ceiling resides.

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Bobcats vs Nets Recap - By The Numbers

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Charlotte Bobcats vs New Jersey Nets - 11/02/2009 - Boxscore
Bobcats vs Nets Recap

Some numbers for your perusal:
45.5 - The Bobcats' offensive efficiency in the 1st quarter, scoring 10 points on 22 possessions.

101.5 - Charlotte's offensive efficiency the rest of the way, with 69 points on 68 possessions. That still is not good, but at least it would only be bad, not historically bad.

19 - Turnovers is too many in such a slow game. Two players had turnovers on more than 1/4th of their possessions used - Raymond Felton with 6 turnovers in 22 possessions and Raja Bell with 3 in 11.

24 turnovers for the Nets is just outstanding defensive work by the Bobcats. The Bobcats had a couple of players with turnovers on a quarter of their possessions - the Nets as a team had turnovers on more than a quarter of their possessions, with 24 turns in 90 possessions making for a 26.7% turnover rate. Outstanding.

6.7% - The Bobcats went 1 of 15 on threes last night for a mark of 6.7%. For the season, they are shooting 17.9% on threes - but there is reason for hope, as they were middle of the pack last season at 15th, shooting 36.6%. Once some of their open looks start falling, the offense will start looking better.

12 assists on 24 makes, just a 50% assist rate. The team finished last season at over 60%, among the league leaders. Again, making open jumpers will help.

Current season stats:
Offensive efficiency: 85.5 (30th)
Defensive efficiency: 92.8 (2nd)
Turnover Rate: 17.7 (29th)
Forced Turnover Rate: 18.4 (1st)
Offensive Rebound Rate: 30.8 (5th)
Defensive Rebound Rate: 79.8 (1st)

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Bobcats vs Nets Recap

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 07:00:00 EST

Boxscore of Bobcats vs Nets - 11/02/2009
Score: 79-68 Bobcats
Bobcats Record: 2-2
Offensive Efficiency: 87.8
Defensive Efficiency: 73.1
Meritorious Player: Gerald Wallace - I was tempted to put DJ Augustin as the MP on this game but it's tough not to give Crash his due, I mean how many more 20-20 games can you expect from a small forward. Actually I wouldn't be surprised with another given all the missed shots the Bobcats have been throwing up lately. There was a point in this game where everyone minus DJ and Gerald were 0-17 for the Bobcats. And I don't know what's wrong with Vladimir Radmanovic because he looks like he forgot how to play the game0-7 from the field with 2 turnovers despite some pretty good looks from the land of trey. Raymond Felton goes 4-12 with 6 turnovers, clearly his worst game of the young season, but thanks to DJ for quite a burst of offense after halftime. I still would like to point that one of Larry Brown's first comments were our point guards had 9 turnovers and just 5 assists. Coach Brown is a tough one to please and I wonder how comfortable he is having his point guard shoulder so much of the offensive load. I believe the answer is not too comfortable.

Kudos to the Bobcat defense for forcing 25 turnovers and defending so well despite the offensive problems, it tough to defend when you're not making shots on offense. Raja Bell helped space the floor offensively and knocked down the team's lone 3-pointer. The next game is Friday and I expect Flip Murray to suit up for that one.

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Bobcats vs Nets Preview

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Who: Charlotte Bobcats versus New Jersey Nets
What: NBA Basketball - Bobcats Home Game
When: 11/02/2009 at 7pm EST
Where: Live at Time Warner Cable Arena in the Queen City or on Fox Sports Carolinas

The Matchup:

	Record	Offensive Efficiency	Defensive Efficiency	Pace
Charlotte	1-2	84.8 (30th)	99.3 (8th)	88.4 (30th)
New Jersey	0-3	97.9 (27th)	108.3 (19th)	98.0 (12th)

Injuries:
Charlotte: ~~Raja Bell - out;~~ Ronald Murray - out;
New Jersey: Devin Harris - out; Jarvis Hayes;

UPDATE: Raja Bell to play and start - from Rick Bonnell

Starting Lineups

	Bobcats	Nets
PG	Raymond Felton	Rafer Alston
SG	~~Stephen Graham~~ Raja Bell	Courtney Lee
SF	Gerald Wallace	Chris Douglas-Roberts
PF	Boris Diaw	Yi Jianlian
C	Tyson Chandler	Brook Lopez

A matchup between two struggling teams (though not unsurprising), the Bobcats and the Nets also share injury woes: The Nets are missing two starters in Devin Harris and Jarvis Hayes, while the Bobcats continue to be without the services of Raja Bell and his backup Flip Murray. With Devin Harris being the best of the bunch by far, the Bobcats come out ahead on this exchange - and that is big for Charlotte right now as they need every advantage they can get, with the league's worst offense by about 5 points per 100 possessions (and with that blowout to the Celtics, the league's worst net efficiency at -14.5).

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Pacific Division Previews

Sun, 1 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST

Golden State Warriors: Golden State of Mind

Los Angeles Clippers: Clips Nation

Los Angeles Lakers: Silver Screen & Roll | With Malice | NBAtipoff | Hoops Addict | Forum Blue & Gold

Phoenix Suns: Bright Side of the Sun | Binary Basketball

Sacramento Kings: Sactown Royalty | Basketball Fiend | Cowbell Kingdom

Bonus Links: See full schedule here | Also see SBNation preview storystream

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Bobcats vs Cavaliers Recap

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:30:00 EDT

Boxscore of Bobcats vs Cavaliers - 10/31/2009
Score: 90-79 Cavaliers
Bobcats Record: 1-2
Offensive Efficiency: 95.2
Defensive Efficiency: 107.1
Meritorious Player: D.J. Augustin - 11 points on 2-5 from the floor, 6 of 8 from the stripe, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, and 1 turnover in 29 minutes. Bonus points for being the Bobcat with the highest (-2) plus/minus in more than 20 minutes.

If you actually expected the Bobcats to win this one - ease up on the kool-aid. Coming off a double overtime game last night, traveling up to Cleveland to face one of the top teams in the league, the Bobcats are not up for that task just yet. But there were some encouraging signs. They kept things close in the first half and the offense continued to look better - an efficiency of 95.2 is nothing special, but it is still the best they have done so far. And the better news is that they managed it in the first half, when the game was still close - 41 points on 43 possessions in the first half, for an efficiency of 95.3. Against a good defensive club in Cleveland, that is progress.

Part of the improvement can probably be attributed to improved ball movement. The Bobcats had 19 assists tonight, another season best (which is sad considering they had 30 fewer possessions tonight than last night). In particular, Boris Diaw was on his game, with 9 dimes, including a couple of "how did he see him?" looks - finding Gerald Wallace in the opposite corner when double-teamed in the post and a quick flick to Tyson for a dunk from the 3 point line. Fun to watch.

Not much else noteworthy - no standout performances, though it was nice to see Vlad make a couple of shots. He was hesitating a little early in the game, but finished with 12 points on 4 of 9 shooting. Dell Curry echoed one of my thoughts after Vladimir hesitated on a 3 and then took the contested shot: Either shoot it or don't, but a hesitation 3 like that is tough without a rhythm. The Bobcats rhythm is coming, things are starting to come together - remember, it took them time last season to gel and there is turnover and injuries to deal with this time around as well.

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Bobcats vs Knicks Recap

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EDT

Boxscore of Bobcats vs Knicks - 10/30/2009
Score: 102-100 Bobcats (2OT)
Bobcats Record: 1-1
Offensive Efficiency: 90.3
Defensive Efficiency: 88.5
Meritorious Player: Raymond Felton - 22 points on 8 of 18 from the floor, 6 of 7 from the line. 9 assists, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and just 2 turnovers in a game where he had the ball in his hands a lot. Great effort and big plays down the stretch even after a calf cramp that left him hobbled.

The Charlotte Bobcats gave the fans at Time Warner Cable Arena a win - but it was not the kind people expected after the first quarter: The Bobcats led by 19 after 1, and by as much as 21, yet needed two overtimes to seal the deal. You can probably guess the culprit. Offense - After putting up 32 points on 26 possessions in the first quarter, the Bobcats managed just 70 points on their next - are you ready for this? - 87 possessions. That first quarter represented an offensive efficiency of 123.1, but the rest of the ordeal just 80.5 (against a below average defensive team). A quarter by quarter breakdown:

	Points	Poss	Eff
1st	32	26	123.1
2nd	19	23	82.6
3rd	18	23	78.2
4th	13	21	61.9
1st OT	6	9	66.7
2nd OT	14	11	127.3

After the first quarter, the offense stagnated - fewer runouts, fewer layups, more jumpers and the game got very interesting. But the Bobcats won on the strength of their own defense and some timely plays. As mentioned above, Raymond had a great night - after that, several players made solid contributions, but with some negatives to go with the positives.

D.J. Augustin - D.J. made a big 3 in the second overtime, and before that even happened, he helped the Bobcats make it to a second round of bonus basketball by stripping Chris Duhon late in the first OT. But D.J. also clanked two free throws late that could have cost the Bobcats the win, and the erstwhile point guard had just 1 assist to match 1 turnover in nearly 40 minutes of action.

Boris Diaw - A good Boris night, with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists...but 4 turnovers and just 5 of 15 from the floor. Boris seems to be lacking a spring in his step right now and had trouble finishing around the rim - the pre-season injury but also probably due to his tendency to play his way into shape.

Tyson Chandler - Tyson had a much better night in his second official game as a Bobcat - 6 points and 8 rebounds in just 18 minutes. But he only played 18 minutes because he fouled out that quickly - two coming on the offensive end, with an illegal screen and a push-off for a rebound.

Gerald Wallace - 18 points, 15 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal, but it took him 20 shots to get those 20 points and he had 4 turnovers against 0 assists.

Gerald Henderson - The rookie had a great anticipation steal in the backcourt for a dunk - and earned a seat on the bench for the rest of the evening after forcing up a contested jumper early in the shot clock in the fourth (part of the Bobcats 7 possession drought).

The takeaway from all these positives and negatives: This team is still learning how to play together (and how to play for Larry Brown) and that will continue as players return from injury. The offense is going to struggle and have these mood swings so the defense will have to keep them in games. Against Boston, the D did a decent job but the offense was not up to the task. Tonight, they put together enough stops at the end to hold on and send the fans home happy.

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Bobcats vs Knicks Preview

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT

Who: Charlotte Bobcats versus New York Knicks
What: NBA Basketball - Bobcats Home Opener
When: 10/30/2009 at 7pm EDT
Where: Live at Time Warner Cable Arena in the Queen City or on Fox Sports Carolina

The Matchup:

	Record	Offensive Efficiency	Defensive Efficiency	Pace
Charlotte	0-1	67.8	105.7	87.0
New York	0-1	93.9	118.6	98.0

It's two days later and there is no doubt the Charlotte Bobcats will be anxious to get on the court and prove to their home fans that Wednesday night will be this season's low-light as opposed to par for the course. The New York Knicks are a great opponent for them since this will likely be a fast paced game since it's Mike D'Anotni's 7 seconds or less offense and the Bobcats are playing at home where teams normally play a little faster than on the road. But make no mistake this will not be an easy game given the Bobcats' offensive problems and that is where we start...

What to watch for
I want to see who takes the first couple of shots and whether or not they go in. Sounds elementary but those were two of the main issues Wednesday night. 100 points or more by Charlotte likely will win this game but to get there those turnovers will have to drop to an acceptable number while the shooting percentage will need to rise to an acceptable number. And I know how much Larry Brown abhors the three-pointer but this team has to make a trey to beat New York because you certainly know the Knicks will be letting it fly.

Key Matchup
I can't decide between DJ Augustin and Nate Robinson or Tyson Chandler and David Lee. DJ will have to score more than one point tonight that's for sure and he is the main guy that can help Charlotte out of it's three-point shooting funk. Ironically Nate Robinson only scored 1 point in the Knicks opener in Miami so he'll be looking to bounce back as well and if he gets it going early there could be problems. D'Antoni's offenses are pick and roll heavy so Tyson Chandler's ankle will certainly get a test tonight as he's trying to cover David Lee. Keeping Lee in check will be more important than Chandler matching him in points but Tyson is going to have to find away to score from the field. That may be more on Raymond Felton and DJ than Chandler though because they'll have to find him on those screen and rolls.

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Costume Idea for Alexis Ajinca

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:00:00 EDT

I was watching "The Nightmare Before Christmas" tonight in anticipation of Halloween - and a costume idea hit me:
Alexis should totally go as...

Jack Skellington:

In fact, if they ever remake the movie as live action, Alexis is the perfect body double.

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Bobcats vs Celtics Recap - Time adds perspective

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EDT

First we have to recognize that this was only one game and could be the worst overall performance of the season for this team, so things will likely only go up from here. For those who didn't stay and watch the entire broadcast Larry brown was quick to point out that he was without two starting quality shooting guards in Raja Bell and Flip Murray. I don't know if I would agree with calling Murray and Bell starting quality shooting guards at this stage in their careers but their shooting ability would have improved the spacing and made Boston's defense work harder last night. Also we have to remember that Boston is a pretty darn good team, known for their suffocating defense. And finally before I go into all the red flags I saw please keep in mind that Tyson Chandler and to a lesser extent Boris Diaw are not in optimum playing shape right now. It was clear especially in the case of Chandler that he didn't have much of a rhythm or chemistry with the guys out there and that will certainly improve in time. Now for the problems I saw�

1. Just a few minutes into the game I found myself asking �why is Stephen Graham taking so many shots?� I don't know if was by design or just by the way the ball was moving but Graham put up 5 shots in the first quarter alone and tied Raymond Felton for the most number of shots taken in the game with 11. That just can't happen. It's clear he's playing out of position at the two because of the Bobcats injuries but he needs to idle himself down a bit offensively

2. Turnovers again. I can excuse Tyson Chandler's offensive fouls because to be honest the officials were not very consistent with the moving screen calls that were made and that took away any chance for Tyson to get a rhythm. But Raymond Felton's miscues are inexcusable. If this team is going to run more they're going to need a steady hand running the fastbreak and Raymond didn't provide that at all. Neither did DJ and that will be a big issue because as Brett has already pointed out Charlotte had a 15% turnover rate last season and that was bad, 20% would guarantee them the worst offense in the league and another spot in the lottery.

3. Speaking of DJ, he has to play better and by better I mean more than 10 points a game better if this team is going to compete. I'm not certain If he has the green light to fire off the dribble from 20 feet if he's open but with the Bobcats needing offense Larry Brown is going to have to find a way to feature his shooting ability to make opposing defenses work

4. I know Tyson will get better and there were more possessions in the New Orleans-San Antonio game, but it's hard not to look at Emeka Okafor's 18 points and 10 rebounds and think Charlotte could have used that production on a night when the leading scorer had just 10 points. As Boris gets in better shape he'll have to provide a guy that the Bobcats can throw it in the post to, because that really isn't Chandler's game.

Finally I'll say I'm not that shocked at the final outcome with Charlotte struggling to score and DJ and Raymond clearly off their games. The bad news is that even with Raja and Flip back the best case scenario will be an average to slightly below average Charlotte offense, but if the defense can be one of the best there's still hope Charlotte can turn this thing around.

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Bobcats vs Celtics Recap - Stunned Edition

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:30:00 EDT

Here is the detailed boxscore of the game: Charlotte Bobcats vs Boston Celtics 10/28/2009 Boxscore.
Score:92-59 Boston
Bobcats Record: 0-1
Meritorious Player: Ha.
Offensive Efficiency: 67.8
Defensive Efficiency: 105.7

More thoughts to come in the morning but for now, some numbers to consider:
1 - as in the 1 point that D.J. Augustin and Tyson Chandler combined to score in 48 minutes of action; I really do not know if that will be matched this season.
18 - 18 turnovers in just 87 possessions, giving the Bobcats a turnover rate of 19.8. Remember, last year they were bad about turnovers and they were at 15%.
23 - Field goals made (out of 74 - 31% shooting) and the number of personal fouls. Never good for those to be equal. Again, may not be matched this season.

Bonnell's recap of the game including a mention of Raymond and his 15 stitches in his lip. Rough night.

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