The game saw two leaders in Orlando’s Jameer Nelson—who surged in the first half with 24 points—and Charlotte’s Gerald Wallace—who took control in the second half.
Nelson finished with a game-high 32 points, including 4–8 on 3-pointers, while Wallace led the game in rebounds (17) and finished with an impressive 25 points.
The big success story for Charlotte was the great defensive job they did in limiting Dwight Howard. Howard scored just five points to tie a season-low in less than 28 minutes of playing time as he was plagued with foul trouble throughout the game.
Still, Howard was a defensive powerhouse when he was in the game, swatting away nine shots to tie an NBA playoff record and leading Orlando with seven rebounds.
“They’re trying everything they can to take Dwight out of the game,” Nelson said at the half. “We know we have enough weapons and enough guys that are going to make shots for us. When I’m aggressive, we’re pretty good.”
Thanks to Nelson, the Bobcats cut a 13-point first quarter deficit to four. Nelson turned up the throttle again in the second quarter and was assisted by sixth man Mickael Peitrus, who also proved dangerous from beyond the perimeter. The half closed 59–43 to Orlando.
Orlando extended their lead to as many as 20 points in the early minutes of the third quarter but the Bobcats just wouldn’t go away, eventually making it a two-possession game.
“We’re not playing any defense now. Everything is at the basket and we’re late all the time and we’re fouling them,” Orlando’s coach Stan Van Gundy said at the close of the third quarter.
Charlotte’s high-intensity, scrappy play kept them in the game while Wallace and guard Raymond Felton tag-teamed down the stretch to help the Bobcats close to within five points with under three minutes to go.
Felton drained two key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and scored 10 points (19 overall). The Bobcats’ Stephen Jackson also came back with a fury after being injured with a hyper-extended left knee in the first half.
Orlando veteran Vince Carter fouled out of the game in the final minute after shooting just 4–19.
Other Weekend Action
Saturday’s matchups saw all the higher-seeded teams come away with sizeable victories over their opponents. Cleveland (No. 1 seed) blew out Chicago (No. 8 seed) 96–83, Atlanta (No. 3 seed) defeated Milwaukee (No. 6 seed) 102–92, Denver (No. 4 seed) ripped Utah (No. 5 seed) 126–113, and Boston (No. 4 seed) beat Miami (No. 5 seed) 85–76.
The big news was in the Boston–Miami matchup. An emotional Kevin Garnett got ejected after elbowing Miami’s Quentin Richardson in the jaw during a skirmish with less than a minute left in the game.
On Sunday, the NBA decided to suspend Garnett for Tuesday’s Game 2 in Boston—a significant blow to the Celtics lineup. “I am smarter than that. I have to keep my composure in a situation like that,” Garnett reflected.
In other Sunday action, the Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 87–79 after a devastating first quarter in which they built up a 14-point lead.
