Raps were on a mission tonight. This was a so-called “must win” game against the Charlotte Bobcats. Friday, they face the Hawks……and then after that?
They face:
LA Lakers
Denver
Utah
Portland
Cleveland
Indiana
VC & the Nets (ugh)
New Orleans
One more time, VC & the Nets (ugh x 2)
Dallas
That is one, as Charles Barkley would say, “TURRRIBLE” schedule. That’s one tough stretch of games. If the Raps go 1-9 or 0-10 over those games, Sam Mitchell might be in trouble.
So Raps vs. Bobcats:
J.O. was out of the lineup (he had not practiced for the last couple of days), and Jamario Moon was moved in as the starter.
Mission 1 tonight: Get ahead from the start.
The Raps were hoping to do it Celtics-style and get a jump on the Bobcats. Mission 1 failed. Charlotte won the first quarter 25-24. It was ok though, Raps were up 5 at the half.
Mission Two: Play better D.
Charlotte shot 43% from the field and were 3-16 from the 3pt line. The Raps looked a lot better defensively holding the Bobcats to 86 points. The Raps defended hot guards DJ Augustin and Raymond Felton well, holding them to a combined 17 pts. Mission Accomplished. DJ Augustin is sick with the dribble.
Mission Three: Help Bosh.
Raps are 0-2 when Bosh scores 40. Chris, whatever you do, DO NOT SCORE 40. Have your teammates help you.
Bosh had 22 at mid 2nd quarter…..uh oh. Chris Bosh played 45 minutes but scored……..(drumroll)……….39. And yes, you guessed it, the Raps won.
Chris got his help tonight. Joey Graham made an appearance and scored 17 off of the bench (2nd leading scorer). Bargnani had a decent game with 11 pts, 9 boards and 3 blocks.
Roko Ukic had a behind the back dish to CB4 for the dunk. It was sick.
Mission Four: Win.
Raps had a 87-80 lead with 7 minutes left but with 3 minutes left in the 4th, Raps were only up 87-86….yikes! This is when Raps fans start to cringe.
There were no early celebrations from Jose, CB4 did not score 40 (he scored 39) and Raps pulled out the win. Raps beat the Bobcats 93-86. Thank god.
Chris Bosh has been on a tear. He had 39 points, 11 boards and 2 blocks tonight. He only missed one shot through three quarters. Raps face Atlanta on Friday.
Happy Thanksgiving to the US. And Raps fans can be thankful for this win.
Photo Credit: (Photo by Ron Turenne/NBAE via Getty Images)
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