Recap: Toronto vs. Charlotte
Sports Network | November 26, 2008
Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Chris Bosh scored 39 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, as the Toronto Raptors defeated the Charlotte Bobcats, 93-86, at Air Canada Centre.
Bosh was 15-for-20 from the field and 9-for-10 from the free throw line for Toronto, which came into the game having lost two straight. Joey Graham had a season-high 17 points, while Andrea Bargnani had 11 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots in the victory.
"The coaches have always been on me to be aggressive," Bosh said. "I've been trying to go to the basket a lot more, and when my teammates are open I hit them for an open shot. It was working out pretty good."
Gerald Wallace scored a team-high 23 points to go along with eight rebounds for the Bobcats, who have lost five of six. Jared Dudley tied a season-high with 13 points, while Emeka Okafor had 16 points and 14 rebounds in the loss. D.J. Augustin contributed 13 points for Charlotte.
"(Bosh) controlled the game tonight both offensively and defensively," Dudley said. "We saw why he is one of the best power forwards in the game, and it is really hard to guard him. His jump shot is much improved. We did a pretty good job of hanging in there."
Okafor's dunk with seven minutes to play brought the Bobcats to within five at 85-80, and Augustin's driving layup made it 87-84 with about 4 1/2 minutes to play. After a couple of Toronto miscues offensively, Okafor hit a jumper to make it a one-point game.
Bosh restored the three-point lead with a jumper, and Okafor's put-back layup was off the mark. A goaltending call against Charlotte on Graham's dunk on the ensuing possession gave Toronto a five-point edge with 1:40 to play.
Raymond Felton's layup attempt after a timeout was negated by a charging call, and Jose Calderon hit a jumper with 30.8 seconds to go to give Toronto a 93-86 edge, sealing the victory.
"Every time that we came down when we had it to two or three, we couldn't get a basket," Wallace said. "Every time that they needed a basket, they were able to execute and get a basket."
Wallace led all scorers in the first quarter with 13, and the Bobcats finished the opening frame on an 18-9 run to take a 25-24 lead into the second. Bosh scored 11 in the quarter for Toronto.
With Charlotte up 29-25, the Raptors went on an 11-2 run to seize a 36-31 advantage midway through the second. But the Bobcats rebounded to take a 44-40 lead on an Augustin three. Toronto closed on a 11-2 run to take a 51-46 lead into the break, as Bosh added another 13 points in the quarter.
The teams went back-and-forth in the third quarter, with neither club able to establish a prolonged offensive attack. The Raptors increased their lead to seven and held a 75-68 edge going into the fourth.
Graham's career-high is 19 points, accomplished several times...Toronto leads the season series, 2-0...Charlotte's Jason Richardson missed his seventh straight game after undergoing knee surgery on November 12...The Raptors hold the NBA record for most consecutive games hitting at least one three-pointer, with 793. They hit six on Wednesday...Calderon finished with 10 points and nine assists.
