Bobcats at Magic
Veteran Al Jefferson and third-year pro Kemba Walker are carrying the bulk of the load as the Charlotte Bobcats close in on their second trip to the playoffs in franchise history. The productive duo looks to keep the Bobcats on track for the postseason when they visit the dangerous Orlando Magic on Friday. Charlotte has won eight of its last 12 games and holds seventh place in the Eastern Conference while Orlando is 13th, but has been much more difficult to beat at home.
Jefferson is averaging 25.4 points in March after posting 35 in the 116-111 overtime victory over Brooklyn on Wednesday and Walker has scored at least 20 in five of his last six contests. The Bobcats still lean on their defense, which ranks fourth in the league in points allowed (97.4). The Magic, who own the worst road record in the league, are 16-18 at home with wins over Indiana and Oklahoma City while they beat Portland 95-85 on Tuesday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Charlotte), FSN Florida (Orlando)
ABOUT THE BOBCATS (35-37): Charlotte plays only four teams currently in playoff position among its final 10 games of the regular season as it tries to match the 2009-10 squad which won 44 games and made the postseason. Jefferson averages 21.6 points and 10.5 rebounds while Walker scores 17.8 and hands out 5.8 assists per game overall for the Bobcats. Gerald Henderson chips in at 14.5 points per game while Chris Douglas-Roberts has scored at least 11 off the bench in three of the last four games.
ABOUT THE MAGIC (20-52): Orlando has matched last season’s win total after snapping its nine-game losing streak by holding Portland to 37.2 percent shooting and totaling 10 steals. Tobias Harris has recorded at least 20 points in half of 12 games during March and averages 15 overall, second behind Arron Afflalo (19.1). With veteran point guard Jameer Nelson out with a sore left knee, rookie Victor Oladipo has played at least 36 minutes in each of the last four games while averaging 16.8 points and 7.3 assists
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Bobcats F Josh McRoberts is third in the league in assist-turnover ratio (4.15), leading a team that coughs up the ball an NBA-low 11.7 times per game.
2. Magic C Nikola Vucevic has 34 doubles-doubles in 54 games and did not play in Charlotte’s 111-101 win at Orlando on Jan. 17.
3. Charlotte G Gary Neal, averaging 11.5 points in 13 games since being acquired from Milwaukee, is day-to-day with a left ankle sprain.