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Raptors and Bobcats tangle in Charlotte

Dec 14, 2010 - 3:54 PM (Sports Network) - The Toronto Raptors will try to string together consecutive wins when they pay a visit to the Charlotte Bobcats tonight.

The Raptors ended a four-game slide with Saturday's 120-116 victory at Detroit, as Jerryd Bayless hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 1:21 left in the game and matched a career high by scoring 31 points for the Raptors, who outscored the Pistons by a 37-17 margin in the fourth quarter and recorded the largest comeback in franchise history.

Toronto rallied from a 25-point deficit and got 22 points apiece from Leandro Barbosa and Andrea Bargnani. The Raptors picked up just their third road win of the season (3-9).

"We just came together and played good defense, that is all that I can say," said Amir Johnson, who had six points and five rebounds. "We were shooting the ball well at half, we just had problems on defense and needed to stop turning over the ball and needed to get stops. We just had to be accountable for ourselves out there and step up to the plate. We knew what we had to do, there was no question about that, and we just stepped it up."

Raptors guard Jose Calderon (foot) is expected to miss Tuesday's game.

Charlotte has dropped two straight, three of four and five of its last seven games, including Saturday's 93-62 loss to the Boston Celtics.

Nazr Mohammed scored 14 points and Stephen Jackson ended with 13 for the Bobcats, who were reportedly lambasted by owner Michael Jordan after the game. Gerald Wallace provided just nine points in defeat, as Charlotte shot a season-worst 33.8 percent and committed 22 turnovers.

"We're playing against a quality team that's on a mission," said Bobcats head coach Larry Brown. "If you're going to play soft and don't execute and don't play hard, you're going to get embarrassed, and we got embarrassed."

The 62 points were the second-fewest in franchise history. Wallace is averaging 16.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks in his last eight games.

On the injury front for the Bobcats, forward Tyrus Thomas is questionable for Tuesday's game with tightness in his left quadriceps.

Charlotte defeated Toronto, 101-96, back on Nov. 10 at Air Canada Centre and has won four of the past six meetings between the teams.