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Bulls-Bobcats Preview

Jan 5, 2010 - 6:12 AM By KATE HEDLIN STATS Writer

Chicago (14-17) at Charlotte (14-18), 7:00 p.m. EDT

Back-to-back road wins for the first time this season left the Charlotte Bobcats feeling confident at the end of the weekend. Returning home gives them another reason to be optimistic.

The Bobcats look to continue their excellent play at Time Warner Cable Arena on Tuesday night when they face the Chicago Bulls.

Charlotte (14-18) has been outstanding at home this season, going 11-4 while holding opponents to 89.7 points per game. Playing on the road had been entirely different story - at least until this weekend.

After losing 14 of their first 15 road games, including a four-point defeat at Toronto to open a three-game road trip last week, the Bobcats won their next two, beating Miami 107-97 on Saturday and recording their first-ever victory at Quicken Loans Arena with a 91-88 win over Cleveland on Sunday.

Charlotte guard Flip Murray hit a 3-pointer with 56 seconds left and LeBron James missed a 3-point attempt as time expired. Stephen Jackson led the Bobcats with 22 points while Gerald Wallace had 19 points and 12 rebounds.

"We haven't been able to close out games," coach Larry Brown said. "We just haven't figured out a way to finish. Tonight we finished. Last night we finished. It makes this trip phenomenal and we'll enjoy another plane ride."

Jackson been a big factor, averaging 29.0 points over the last three games. He also played well against Chicago last season, averaging 25.5 points and shooting 52.5 percent in two games against the Bulls.

After Tuesday, Charlotte heads back on the road to face the Knicks on Thursday, but it returns home for a season-high six-game homestand after that.

Charlotte's last two home wins were also against teams from the Central Division. The Bobcats held Detroit to 76 points, then gave up 84 to Milwaukee in those games.

The Bobcats, however, allowed the Bulls (14-18) to shoot 50.0 percent in a 93-90 loss in Chicago on Nov. 7. Bulls center Joakim Noah had 21 points and 16 rebounds in the victory.

Noah had another solid game Monday against Oklahoma City, finishing with 14 points and 14 rebounds, but the Bulls had their four-game winning streak snapped with a 98-85 defeat.

The Bulls had averaged 99.8 points during their winning streak, and after scoring 52 points in the first half Monday, they appeared on their way to possibly surpassing that average. However, they were outscored 32-14 in the third quarter.

"We got in that rut again where we didn't score enough to put any pressure on them," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "We got stagnant. We did not defend very well. They got some easy baskets. We settled for too many jump shots and didn't have enough ball movement."

All five starters finished in double figures, but Chicago shot 35.4 percent. Tyrus Thomas, who averaged 16.0 points in his first three games back from a broken arm, was held to seven points while shooting 3 of 12.

Chicago plays its next two on the road, where it's 3-11. The Bulls have lost their last two trips to Charlotte.