Bobcats at Raptors
The Charlotte Bobcats aren't winning pretty, but they're winning — and that's all that matters to head coach Steve Clifford. The Bobcats look to make it two in a row as they continue their climb toward the .500 mark with a game Wednesday against the Raptors in Toronto. Charlotte overcame a 30-point, 17-rebound performance from DeMarcus Cousins in a 95-87 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, while the Raptors are coming off an impressive 99-77 victory over Chicago on Saturday.
Surprisingly stout defense has put the Bobcats in position to challenge for a playoff spot as the season reaches the quarter pole. Clifford's crew is allowing the second-fewest points per game in the NBA and has given up more than 100 points just once in the previous 18 contests. That streak will be put to the test against a high-scoring Raptors team that had reached triple digits in three consecutive games before coming up a single point short against the Bulls.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Charlotte), SNET (Toronto)
ABOUT THE BOBCATS (11-14): Charlotte 7-footer Cody Zeller hasn't made the same impact as some of the other members of the 2013 draft class, but his contributions to the Bobcats' season have still been appreciated. Zeller has been given a specific task for his rookie season: work on the things he does best. "It's a big learning year," he told the Charlotte Observer. "I feel like I'm a lot better than I was a month ago and hopefully I'll be a lot better a month from now." Zeller had seven points, five rebounds and two assists in just more than 23 minutes against Sacramento.
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (9-13): If Toronto is still intent on trading point guard Kyle Lowry, the return may be growing by the day. Lowry is racking up the minutes in the Toronto backcourt, and is making the most of them — the 27-year-old Villanova product has recorded six or more assists in 14 consecutive games, highlighted by a season-best 11 in Friday's victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Lowry has been linked to a handful of teams — most notably the struggling New York Knicks, who have lost Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni to injury.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Bobcats earned a 92-90 win over Toronto in their previous encounter Nov. 6 in Charlotte.
2. Lowry averages 8.3 points and 4.1 assists in 17 career games versus the Bobcats.
3. Raptors SG DeMar DeRozan has shot just 5-for-24 from beyond the arc in December.