NBA Game Summary - Atlanta at Charlotte

Charlotte, NC (Basketball News) - Emeka Okafor posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, Melvin Ely added 16 points and Charlotte pasted Atlanta, 105-84, as the league’s two worst teams closed out a home-and-home set from Charlotte Coliseum.

Malik Allen, Gerald Wallace and Keith Bogans each chipped in 12 points while Jason Hart and Matt Carroll each contributed 11 points for the Bobcats, who have strung together two straight wins — both over the Hawks.

"Defense first," said Ely, who added five blocks on the defensive end. "We come out and pressured hard. I am just fortunate to be on this team."

Josh Smith continues to impress, posting a double-double with 20 points and 14 points for the struggling Hawks, who have dropped 32 of their last 35 games. Atlanta fell to a woeful 3-36 on the road. Tony Delk dropped in 16 points off the bench in the setback.

With the loss, Atlanta (12-66) clinched the league’s worst record, while the Bobcats are not far behind with a 17-61 mark.

"By next season we just have to find a way to get better," added Charlotte head coach Bernie Bickerstaff.

Charlotte, which got the best of the Hawks on Monday by registering a 110-105 overtime victory at Philips Arena, put this game away early, as the Bobcats raced out to a double-digit lead from the start

Brevin Knight’s jumper staked the home team to a 21-8 lead with around six minutes left in the opening period. The Bobcats then carried a 32-18 lead after one quarter of play.

The Bobcats then sealed the game in the second quarter. A 13-5 spurt to open the frame was capped by Wallace’s jumper which staked the Bobcats to a commanding 45-23 lead with 8:27 left in the first half. The lead would balloon to 25 points, 65-40, at the break.

Ely paced all players with 12 points for the Bobcats, while Tyronn Lue netted 11 points for the Hawks after the first 24 minutes.

Charlotte continued to pour it on the third quarter. Hart’s jumper stretched the Bobcats’ margin to 81-52 with under five minutes remaining in the stanza. The onslaught did not stop there, as the Bobcats took an 89-59 advantage into the fourth quarter en route to its biggest margin of victory of the season.

"I thought the performance level was pretty consistent," said Bickerstaff." We performed well. I thought our help defense was pretty good." Charlotte blocked 10 shots on the night.