Bobcats Claw Past Wizards

After winning three straight games on their home court, the Wizards were back on the road, traveling to North Carolina, to take on the 14-52 Charlotte Bobcats.The Cats had lost 2 straight games coming into Monday, and sitting last place in the Eastern Conference, had already been mathematically eliminated from post-season contention.

The Wizards had defeated the Bobcats  at the Verizon Center on March 9th by a score of 104-87. Charlotte had been victorious in two meetings between the clubs prior to that night, but the Wizards played both those games without John Wall, who was still sidelined with a knee injury.

Charlotte led 63-59 at the half, and held on for 119-114 victory, their 3rd of the year over Washington. Kemba Walker banked in a jumper with 1:37 left to play to put Charlotte up 113-111. Walker then intercepted a bad pass by Trevor Ariza, and converted a running layup on the other end  to increase Charlotte's lead to 115-111. Gerald Henderson sealed the deal for the Bobcats, nailing a three-pointer with 55 seconds left to give Charlotte a 118-111 advantage.

Bobcats guard Gerald Henderson drives on Wizards forward Trevor Ariza (Photo by Chuck Burton/Associated Press)

Henderson led Charlotte with 27 points and 8 assists. Ben Gordon added 19 off the bench, and Kemba Walker tallied 18 points and 7 assists.

Washington was led by John Wall with 25 points and 5 assists. Nene turned in a well-rounded game, providing the Wizards with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. Emeka Okafor and Garrett Temple both had solid nights, contributing 17 points a piece.

The Wizards will now head West to take on the Suns on Wednesday night in Phoenix.