Bobcats at Suns
THE STORY: The Charlotte Bobcats have had trouble getting wins of any kind lately. They will now be tasked the challenge of doing so without their starting backcourt. Leading scorer Gerald Henderson is expected to be sidelined two to four weeks with a strained right hamstring. He is joined on the sidelines by point guard D.J. Augustin, who has missed six in row with an injured toe. "It's been unbelievably hard. And there's really nothing I can do about it. The guys are playing as hard as they can. We just don't have enough (talent) at this particular point," coach Paul Silas said. "You take the three top players off anyone's team, and they're not going to do well." Injuries aside, the Bobcats will try to win a fifth straight game over the Phoenix Suns when the teams meet on Saturday night.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Carolinas
ABOUT THE BOBCATS (3-20): Just when it looked like things couldn’t get any worse for the league-worst Bobcats, they suffered their most lopsided loss in franchise history on Wednesday, a 112-68 setback to Portland. The loss was Charlotte’s 10th in a row, the team’s longest skid since dropping 13 straight in 2006. Forward Boris Diaw has fared well against his former team of late, averaging 23 points and nine rebounds in his past three meetings against the Suns.
ABOUT THE SUNS (8-14): Steve Nash started the week on a high note, scoring a season-high 30 points while dishing out 10 assists – in the process becoming the Suns’ all-time leader in assists. But the two-time MVP managed just six points on 2-of-5 shooting in Friday’s 99-81 loss to Houston, Phoenix’s 10th loss in 14 games. Sharpshooter Jared Dudley is starting to get hot, averaging 14.6 points while hitting 53 percent of his 3-pointers in his past five outings.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. The Suns have lost the last two home meetings in the series.
2. Charlotte is allowing 101.3 ppg game, 29th in the NBA.