• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Wallace, Bobcats down undermanned Jazz

Nov 15, 2008 - 3:43 AM By Will Bryan PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Ticker) -- Gerald Wallace had 22 points, nine rebounds and three steals as the Charlotte Bobcats held off the shorthanded Utah Jazz, 104-96, on Friday.

Raymond Felton scored 23 points and Adam Morrison added 15 off the bench for the struggling Bobcats, who defeated the powerhouse Jazz at home for the second straight season.

In this one, Charlotte benefited from the absence of Utah point guard Deron Williams, forward Andrei Kirilenko and center Mehmet Okur. Williams, perhaps the team's best player, has played two games this season thanks to a sprained left ankle.

Morrison's 3-pointer with 4:57 remaining and finish in transition gave Charlotte a seven-point lead it would not relinquish.

Despite falling behind, 29-18, in the second quarter, the Bobcats rallied behind Wallace's 11 first-half points to take a 44-43 halftime lead. Wallace finished the game with a team-leading nine rebounds and 12 points from the free-throw line.

D.J. Augustin, Jared Dudley, Ryan Hollins and Shannon Brown combined 21 points off the bench for the Bobcats, who shot 47 percent (34-of-73) from the field. Charlotte also scored 30 points off 20 turnovers by Utah, including 17 in transition.

"We stayed aggressive," Wallace said. "We applied pressure on defense as we tried to disrupt their offense and get them out of what they wanted to run."

Carlos Boozer collected 24 points and 13 rebounds and Ronnie Price scored 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting for the Jazz, who shot 44 percent (36-of-82) from the floor.

Sean May started his first game of the season for Charlotte, scoring eight points on 3-of-4 shooting in 19 minutes. Felton dished six assists to go along with three rebounds for the Bobcats, who did much of their damage from the free-throw stripe as they hit 26-of-32 foul shots and drew 27 fouls from the Jazz.

"We take a lot of pride in working on our free throws," said Wallace. "We have numerous bets with each other about free throws to see who can make the best free throw percentage. The pride we taken in free throws has carried through throughout the team."

Neither team was able to pull away during the third quarter, as the largest margin was a four points. That period saw seven ties and four lead changes.

"Before in the second half, we were settling for jump shots," Felton said. "But today in the fourth quarter, we were attacking. We got to the basket to get fouls and to get layups. When we can be aggressive like that at the end of games and we have the lead, that's how you maintain the win."