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Raptors ride Bosh, Bargnani to 5th straight win

Dec 31, 2009 - 4:32 AM TORONTO(AP) -- Another bunch of turnovers added up to another road loss for the Charlotte Bobcats.

Chris Bosh had 33 points and 13 rebounds, Andrea Bargnani matched his season high with 28 points, and the Toronto Raptors took advantage of 23 Charlotte turnovers to beat the Bobcats 107-103 on Wednesday night, their season-high fifth straight victory.

Marco Belinelli scored 13 points and rookie DeMar DeRozan had 10 as Toronto avenged its worst defeat of the season, a 116-81 loss at Charlotte on Nov. 25 - the biggest margin of victory in Bobcats history.

"It's always good to retaliate by winning in the fashion that we did," Bosh said. "We didn't lose our composure when they took the lead late in the game."

Stephen Jackson scored 30 points and Raymond Felton had 23 for the Bobcats, who are 1-14 on the road, the second-worst mark in the NBA. Gerald Wallace had 15 points and 16 rebounds.

Bobcats coach Larry Brown was still fuming when he met reporters for an abbreviated postgame media session.

"The defense was pretty solid but when you give up 30 points on turnovers on the road, it's too big a hill to climb," Brown said before marching back into the locker room.

Charlotte made nine turnovers in the first quarter, four in the second and eight more in the third. They'd made just one in the fourth before Felton coughed the ball up trying to drive past Bargnani inside the final minute. Antoine Wright grabbed the loose ball and, following a timeout, Bargnani made a 3-pointer that put the Raptors up 105-101 with 11 seconds left.

"The ball got loose, that's all I'm going to say," a downcast Felton said.

Center DeSagana Diop said Brown has badgered the team about taking better care of the ball "after every game, at halftime and after every quarter." But while the message has been delivered frequently, it still doesn't seem to be getting through.

"We had some horrible turnovers," Wallace said. "I think we had eight in the first eight minutes of the game. That kind of put us down. As a team, we've got to sit down and look. We had 20-something turnovers for 30-something points and it comes down to a defensive stop for us and a big shot by Bargnani that decides the game. If you cut those turnovers in half, that's about 25 shots that we didn't even get."

Toronto forward Hedo Turkoglu bruised his right knee in the first half and did not return after the break. He had two points and five assists in 14 minutes. Coach Jay Triano said Turkoglu first injured his knee during Tuesday's practice. Turkoglu's status for Saturday's game at Boston is not known.

Toronto led 84-80 heading into the fourth after Belinelli ended the third with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Belinelli grabbed the ball after Stephen Graham had his shot blocked and raced up court before making a running jumper from the wing.

Jackson scored on three straight possessions, including a layup, a jumper and two free throws, to make it 96-95 with 3:53 remaining, but Belinelli made an off-balance layup and Bosh drained a pair from the line to make it 100-95 with 3:16 to go.

Felton pulled the Bobcats back with a pair of baskets, then fed Wallace for a driving layup to give Charlotte its first lead of the quarter, 101-100, with 1:43 to play.

Bosh put Toronto back in front with a layup and, after both teams missed, Felton made his pivotal miscue. After Bargnani sealed it with his second 3-pointer, he turned to the crowd and cheering as he danced back up court.

"I feel great," Bargnani said. "(Bosh) passed me the ball and I just shot. The play was for CB in the low post but three guys went for him so he made a great pass to pick the open guy. It was me this time."

Wallace, who had jawed with Toronto's Amir Johnson after a foul earlier in the third, had to be separated from Raptors guard Marcus Banks after Banks shoved Wallace to the floor under the Toronto basket with 28 seconds left in the quarter. After reviewing the play, the referees called personal fouls on Wallace and Banks and technicals on Banks and Graham.

NOTES: Charlotte's lone road win was a 92-76 victory at Washington on Nov. 28. New Jersey (1-16) has the worst road record in the NBA. ... Brown received a technical for arguing at the end of the second quarter. ... Toronto guard Jose Calderon, who has missed nine of the past 10 games with a sore left hip, should return to the practice court next week, Triano said. ... Raptors forward Reggie Evans, who has yet to play this season because of a sore left foot, had an MRI Tuesday that showed no further damage. "He's getting closer," Triano said. ... Bobcats center Tyson Chandler (left foot) missed his third straight game.