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Bobcats lose eighth game in a row

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Charlotte Bobcats melted down offensively during the second half Wednesday, scoring 25 points to fall to the Brooklyn Nets, 99-78, at Time Warner Cable Arena.

The Bobcats shot 10-of-40 from the field after halftime.

The loss was the Bobcats' eighth straight and 16th in the past 18. The Bobcats are an NBA-last 13-48.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist led the Bobcats in scoring with 17 points and Ben Gordon added 16. Nets guards Joe Johnson and Deron Williams had 22 and 20 points, respectively.

Former Bobcat Gerald Wallace made just one of seven shots, but that was a trademark dunk-and-1, drawing a foul on Bobcats rookie Kidd-Gilchrist.

After shooting so well during the first half, the Bobcats' marksmanship cratered in the third quarter. Charlotte shot 3-of-19 in that quarter to fall behind 71-62 entering the fourth. Gerald Henderson's shot was particularly off that quarter, at 0-of-4.

Meanwhile Brooklyn's backcourt of Williams and Johnson went off, combining for 20 of the Nets' 28 points. Those two made eight of their 12 attempts during the quarter.

The Nets led by as much as 12 in the first half, and 53-43 at halftime. Charlotte's shooting was dramatically improved -- 22-of-44, including reserve Gordon's 4-of-6.

Gordon (12 points) and Ramon Sessions (nine) were particularly effective and Henderson added eight points on 4-of-8 from the field. As in the game Monday in Portland, point guard Kemba Walker became more of a distributor than a shooter.

Walker shot 5-of-20 against the Trail Blazers, but he matched a season high with 11 assists. Wednesday he made two of his first five shots, but he had seven first-half assists.

The Bobcats got back Byron Mullens, who missed all but the first three minutes Monday with a sore right knee. Mullens and center Bismack Biyombo both had some early foul trouble, but the defense was solid against the Nets, who shot 7-of-17 in the first quarter.

Charlotte limited Brooklyn's points in the paint to 10 during the first half, a huge improvement on recent efforts. Center Brook Lopez was particularly ineffective with four points and one rebound before halftime. Wallace missed all five of his first-half shots.

The Bobcats will be at home Friday for the Oklahoma City Thunder's only visit to Charlotte this season.

(c)2013 The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)

Visit The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.) at www.charlotteobserver.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services


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