Bell hits 5 3s, Bobcats rout tired Hawks
November 7, 2009
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)—Raja Bell(notes) scored 24 points and the Charlotte Bobcatslooked nothing like the NBA’s lowest scoring team in beating the road-wearyAtlanta Hawks 103-83 on Friday night.
Bell hit 9 of 12 shots, including 5 of 6 from 3-point range, Ronald “Flip”Murray added 15 points in his Charlotte debut, and Gerald Wallace(notes) offset a poorshooting night with 18 rebounds in the Bobcats’ second straight win.
The Hawks struggled defensively and saw their two-game winning streaksnapped at the end of a difficult trip that also took them to Los Angeles,Portland and Sacramento. Josh Smith(notes) and Jamal Crawford(notes) each scored 13 points,but combined to shoot 10 of 27 from the field.
The Hawks fell behind by 21 in the third quarter and scored only 14 pointsin the fourth.
Atlanta Hawks forward Marvin W… AP – Nov 6, 8:43 pm EST Atlanta Hawks guard Jamal Craw… AP – Nov 6, 8:42 pm EST
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The Bobcats, who came in averaging an NBA-low 79.8 points, had reached 80only once in their first four games—a double-overtime contest. But three daysof practice following Monday’s 79-68 win over New Jersey and Murray’s returnfrom a shin injury resulted in an efficient performance.
Crisp ball movement, heady passing and strong drives to the hoop helpedCharlotte build a 77-56 lead on Bell’s 3-pointer midway through the thirdquarter.
Bell, in his second game back after deciding to put off surgery for apartially torn ligament in his left wrist, hit his first five shots, includingtwo 3-pointers. He stayed hot in the second quarter, hitting a 3 to putCharlotte ahead 59-44.
Murray scored seven points in the final 90 seconds of the third quarteragainst the team he played for last season, giving Charlotte an outside scoringthreat it was desperately missing.
Tyson Chandler(notes), who had 10 points and 10 rebounds in his best game since hisoffseason trade from New Orleans, had a thunderous alley-oop dunk on a feed fromD.J. Augustin(notes) to open the fourth quarter and the Hawks never recovered.
Wallace had 11 points on 3-of-14 shooting, but had another big game on theglass four nights after grabbing a career-high 20 rebounds. Charlotte held a55-35 rebounding edge.
Bobcats coach Larry Brown called the Hawks “probably the most athletic teamin the league” before the game, but fatigue seemed to set in. They were slowchasing the ball and Charlotte hit 11 of 18 3-pointers.
Atlanta came in averaging 108 points and Crawford had scored 26 and 27 offthe bench the last two games, but the Hawks shot 40 percent, including 2 of 16from 3-point range.
NOTES: Hawks coach Mike Woodson said he would have liked to re-sign Murrayeven after trading for Crawford. “I just think that the money that we wouldprobably have offered him would have been less money than he really deserved,”Woodson said. … Hawks trainer Wally Blase, who tracks fouls, alertly hustledto the scoring table in the second quarter when they incorrectly had four foulson the Bobcats, not five. It put Josh Smith to the line. … Brown praisedWoodson’s job in turning around a team that won 13 games his first season.“They gave their coach a chance to grow with those kids,” Brown said.