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Jefferson, Bobcats down Magic

Jan 18, 2014 - 5:22 AM Orlando, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - In a battle of the two basement teams in the Southeast Division, Al Jefferson did his best to keep his team from falling further toward the bottom.

Jefferson poured in a game-high 30 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to lead the Charlotte Bobcats to a 111-101 win over the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center.

Kemba Walker totaled 19 points and 10 assists, while Josh McRoberts and Gerald Henderson finished with 17 points apiece for the Bobcats, who have won two of their last three.

Arron Afflalo scored 24 and Tobias Harris and Jameer Nelson added 18 apiece for the Magic, who have not won yet in 2014. Glen Davis contributed 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Victor Oladipo had 11 points and 10 assists in defeat.

Orlando went on an 18-3 tear to take a 44-43 lead with 4:15 left in the first half. Following the run there were two ties and five lead changes before a Davis 22-foot jumper gave the Magic a 53-52 lead at the break.

Just over a minute into the second half Charlotte called a timeout after two baskets by Orlando that made the score 57-52. The timeout changed the momentum and helped the Bobcats explode for a 22-7 run, which allowed them to take the lead with 6 1/2 minutes left in the third.

The teams traded baskets to close out the rest of the quarter and Charlotte carried 78-74 lead into the final 12 minutes.

"I like the way we played. We had good fight," Bobcats head coach Steve Clifford said. "There were times there where we could have caved, but we showed good poise and good execution."

The Magic attempted to chip away at the lead through the first three minutes of the fourth quarter but were matched by the Bobcats until six straight Charlotte free throws made the margin nine points with 7:47 to play.

"Some nights are tougher than others, we talked about before the game the mental part, which I was concerned," said Magic head coach Jacque Vaughn "The 19-2 start for us was part of that mental part but I think overall we showed some resovle to come back at halftime, mentally challenging night for us."

The Bobcats stretched their advantage to as many as 12 points with 3:51 left, however, Orlando went on an 8-2 run to pull within six points with just under 2 1/2 minutes to play.

Orlando only managed a pair of free throws the rest of the way, while Charlotte netted three baskets to finish off the Magic.

Through the first 7:20 the Bobcats were immediately in control on the strength of a 21-3 tear, however, Orlando pulled within 12, 30-18, at the end of the quarter.

Game Notes

Charlotte shot 52.7 percent (39-for-74) from the field, while Orlando made 46.3 percent (38-for-82) of its field goals ... The Bobcats are 9-2 this season when they score 100 points or more ... Orlando is 0-10 this season when opponents shoot 50 percent or better ... Charlotte is 4-0 this season when they shoot over .500 from the field ... The Bobcats host the Miami Heat Saturday ... The Magic face the Boston Celtics at home on Sunday.