NBA News Wire
Bobcats 109, Pacers 87
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Center Al Jefferson scored 34 points, including 20 in the first half, and the Charlotte Bobcats snapped a three-game losing streak with a 109-87 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.
The Bobcats raced to a 28-8 lead after one quarter and never trailed the rest of the way, although the Pacers got as close as three at one point late in the second quarter.
Charlotte (28-33) returned home after losing at San Antonio, Oklahoma City and Miami in a rough schedule over the past week. The Bobcats also maintained the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference standings.
Jefferson, who had 38 points and 19 rebounds in Monday’s loss at Miami, scored 12 points in the first-quarter outburst and remained hot the rest of the way. He finished 16-for-25 from the field.
The Bobcats also got 19 points and nine assists from guard Kemba Walker. Guard Chris Douglas-Roberts and forward Josh McRoberts scored 12 each, forward Cody Zeller scored 11, and guard Gary Neal added 10.
Indiana (46-15) lost its second straight to slip into a tie for the league’s record with the idle Oklahoma City Thunder. The Pacers lost 98-96 to the Golden State Warriors in Indianapolis on Tuesday. It marked just the second time all season that the Pacers lost two in a row.
The Pacers, who were made just four of 20 attempts from the field in the first quarter while falling behind, ended up shooting 40.8 percent and committing 18 turnovers.
Guard Evan Turner led the Pacers with 22 points, and guard George Hill scored 17.
Indiana forward Paul George, who came into the game averaging 22.7 points, went 0-for-9 from the field and scored two points.
The 28-8 first quarter included a 10-0 spurt by the Bobcats, who held the opponent to its lowest total in a quarter this season. Charlotte went on to lead 47-38 at halftime and 73-57 after three quarters, then pushed the margin as high as 22 in the fourth.
NOTES: This was the third and final meeting of the regular season between the teams, although they could wind up facing each other in the first round of the playoffs. The Pacers won both previous games, 99-74 in Charlotte on Nov. 27 and 99-94 in Indianapolis on Dec. 13. The Pacers won 14 of the previous 15 games between the teams before Wednesday. … Bobcats C Justin Hamilton, signed to a 10-day contract Tuesday, was in uniform for the first time Wednesday but did not play. The Bobcats were down one big man after shipping F Jeff Adrien to the Milwaukee Bucks in the trade that brought G Luke Ridnour and G Gary Neal to Charlotte. … Bobcats G Gerald Henderson missed his second straight game with a strained right calf, and coach Steve Clifford said he didn’t expect Henderson to return before next week. That means Henderson would miss Friday’s game against Cleveland and Saturday’s game at Memphis. … The Bobcats have not had C Brendan Haywood (stress fracture left foot) this season, and F Jeffery Taylor (ruptured right Achilles) will miss the rest of the season. Clifford said that Haywood will see the doctor again next week, but there is still no timeframe for his return. … The Pacers started a three-game road trip that will continue on with games at Houston on Friday and at Dallas on Sunday. They will play 14 of their last 22 games on the road.
