Road Warriors: Bobcats down Nets in Jersey

Emeka Okafor chipped in 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for the Bobcats, who snapped an eight-game losing streak. Okafor also tied a career-high with six blocks.

Richard Jefferson netted 25 points for the Nets, who have dropped three straight games and five of the last seven. Vince Carter scored 22 points and had 11 rebounds in defeat. As a team, New Jersey shot only 38 percent.

Charlotte’s win was the first in its history against the Nets as New Jersey won the previous five contests.

The Bobcats played without Gerald Wallace for the second straight game as he remains sidelined with a sprained right index finger.

Trailing 40-34 to start the third quarter, the Bobcats went on a 17-4 run to jump ahead of the Nets with a 51-44 lead. Charlotte took a 61-58 lead into the final quarter of action after outscoring the Nets 27-18 in the third.

With about 6 1/2 minutes to play in regulation, Kareem Rush hit a long jump shot, giving the Bobcats a 69-62 lead. Rush finished the game with 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the floor.

Knight hit a pull up jumper in the paint with 2:23 left to give Charlotte an 80-69 lead. Charlotte converted nine free-throws in the final minute of action to seal the victory.

With around 4:15 left to play in the opening quarter, Carter capped a 14-2 spurt with a three-pointer, giving the Nets a 20-9 lead.

The Bobcats ended the period with a 10-2 run to end the first quarter down 22-19. Melvin Ely netted five points during the stretch and ended the game with 10.

New Jersey opened the second quarter with a 9-2 spurt to take a 31-21 lead with around 8:37 to go before halftime.

The Nets headed into the break with a 40-34 advantage after outscoring Charlotte 18-15 in the second stanza. Jefferson ended the first half with 13 points.

Game Notes

Charlotte won only its second road game of the year (2-11)...Jumaine Jones scored 15 points off the bench with seven rebounds for the Bobcats...Nets’ guard Jason Kidd had eight points and 10 assists...New Jersey is 0-12 this season when trailing after the third quarter.