Bobcats continue trip in Boston

Charlotte enters tonight’s game on a two-game losing streak. On Monday, rookie phenom Chris Paul finished with 24 points and 11 assists to pace the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets to a 103-86 victory over the Bobcats at the Ford Center.

Brevin Knight led the way for Charlotte with 19 points in the loss to the Hornets. Gerald Wallace ended with 14 points and Primoz Brezec ended with 13 points for the Bobcats, who have dropped 12 of their last 17 games overall.

On the injury front for Charlotte, forwards Emeka Okafor (ankle) and Sean May (knee) are expected to miss this evening’s game, while center Jake Voskuhl (ankle) and forward Melvin Ely (ankle) are questionable.

Okafor, who was the 2004-05 Rookie of the Year, has missed six straight games with the ankle injury. He is averaging 12.9 points and a team-high 10.1 rebounds per game. Charlotte is 3-3 without Okafor in the lineup.

The Bobcats are 4-12 on the road this season. They have won two in a row as the visitor.

Boston tries to get back on the winning track as it plays the first of a brief two-game homestand. On Monday, Kenyon Martin finished with 24 points and Carmelo Anthony scored 23 to lead the Denver Nuggets over the Celtics, 120-110, at the Pepsi Center.

Paul Pierce ended with 29 points in the loss to Denver for the Celtics, while Delonte West recorded a career-high 20 points and six assists for Boston, which ended a five-game road trip with a 1-4 record.

The Celtics, who will host the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, are 9-6 as the host this season. They have won two in a row at home.

This is the third and final meeting of the season between the squads. The Bobcats defeated Boston, 107-105, in overtime on their homecourt on November 5th, while the Celtics beat Charlotte, 90-89, on November 25th at Beantown.

Boston has won five of the six meetings between the clubs.