76ers-Bobcats Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Nov 29 2012 2:03PM

Though they may not be household names, Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner and Thaddeus Young are emerging as go-to guys for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Visiting Philadelphia tries for a third consecutive victory Friday night against the Charlotte Bobcats, who hope to avoid a sixth loss in seven meetings in this series.

The 76ers (9-6) entered this season surrounded by plenty of hype thanks to the addition of Andrew Bynum, but it's been Holiday, Turner and Young who've led the way with Bynum out indefinitely.

Holiday is averaging a career-high 18.5 points and the fourth-year guard ranks third in the league with 9.1 assists per game. Two nights after compiling a career-best 33 points and 13 assists in a 104-101 win over Phoenix, Holiday posted 18 and seven Tuesday as Philadelphia escaped with a 100-98 victory over Dallas.

"Jrue has been big for us. He's been huge," said Young, who leads the Sixers with a career-best 7.8 rebounds per game. "He's shown growth each and every year."

Turner and Young also came up big against the Mavericks, scoring 22 and 20 points, respectively, on a combined 15-of-26 shooting. Turner, who averaged 8.2 points over his first two seasons in the league, has recorded 13.5 per game in 2012-13 and 17.8 on 49.4 percent shooting over his last six contests.

"I think I'm getting more comfortable and calmed myself down a little bit, and just taking and making good shots and just playing hard," Turner said. "Right now I'm riding a wave and playing well and trying to be consistent. There are gonna be some off nights, but at the same time I just think being mentally confident will help out."

The 76ers should be confident against the Bobcats, having taken three straight in the series by an average of 17.0 points. Philadelphia had dropped 10 of 11 at Charlotte before winning its last two there, including a 105-80 victory March 19 behind 20 points each from Holiday and Young.

Coming off back-to-back losses, the Bobcats (7-7) return home looking to get back on track. Charlotte fell 114-69 at Oklahoma City on Monday - its most lopsided defeat in franchise history - then came up short 94-91 at Atlanta two nights later.

Ben Gordon went 7 for 10 from 3-point range against the Hawks and scored 20 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough.

"I just tried to be aggressive and force the issue a little bit," Gordon said. "My teammates did a good job of finding me. That was pretty much it. It was a good night, but I much prefer to get the W."

Charlotte, which again has a chance to surpass its win total from last season, will likely need a more efficient effort from the field. The Bobcats are shooting 40.7 percent to rank 29th in the NBA and have been limited to 34.2 percent in their last two games.

They're 5-3 at home after going 4-29 in Charlotte in 2011-12. The Bobcats are giving up 96.1 points per game on their own court - significantly better than their road mark of 105.7.

The 76ers are allowing a league-low average of 87.4 points as the visiting team.

Turner scores 25 as 76ers beat Bobcats 104-98

By STEVE REED
Posted Nov 30 2012 10:53PM

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Jason Richardson says he knew the Philadelphia 76ers' poor shooting at the start of the season wouldn't last.

If his teammates continue to shoot the way they did Friday night, it might not be an issue again.

For the fifth time in six games, the 76ers eclipsed 100 points as Evan Turner scored 25 and Richardson hit four 3-pointers down the stretch to beat the Charlotte Bobcats 104-98 for their third consecutive victory.

Jrue Holliday added 13 points and a career-high 15 assists for Philadelphia, which shot 51 percent from the field. Richardson had 14 of his 22 points in the final period, and Turner was 10 of 15 from the field for the game.

The recent stretch is a far cry from the first four games of the season when the 76ers averaged 83.3 points per game.

"I was never really worried about that," Richardson said. "I knew we had guys that could score and I just thought we were going through a (cold) streak."

Focused on stopping Holliday and Turner in the lane, the Bobcats too often left Richardson alone in the corner for open looks in the fourth quarter.

He repeatedly knocked them down.

"I was very surprised," Richardson said. "There were a couple of other times I looked at the clock and knew we had to burn some time. But I was shocked they left me open so many times."

The 31-year-old Richardson doesn't play as much as he once did and said the competitor in him clearly misses those minutes.

But he knows spot duty and being used down the stretch is probably best for him and the team at this point in his career.

"That's one of the parts about getting older," Richardson said. "You don't want to admit that you get tired being out there that long. But I'm just doing whatever I can to help this team. Right now it's about winning games and helping Philadelphia win a championship."

Sixers coach Doug Collins called Richardson his "ace of spades" on Friday night.

Collins said he spoke with Richardson after the game and told him, "I need him you fresh at the end of the game and I think you can see why."

"Those were big shots that he made for us and the big plays, so he was tremendous," Collins said.

Philadelphia (10-6) had 54 points in the paint, most of those in the first half. Thaddeus Young had 15 points and Lavoy Allen contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Ben Gordon led Charlotte with 19 points, and rookie Jeffery Taylor matched a career high with 16. The Bobcats (7-8) have dropped three straight and four of five to fall below .500.

"Anytime we trade baskets with a good team, a quality team, like that, you know it's going to bite you," Gordon said. "We didn't do a good job of getting stops when we needed, getting key rebounds when we needed it. You know, you can't let a team that shoots that high of a percentage score that many points. We've just got to clean up our defensive intensity."

There were 15 lead changes in the first half, but Philadelphia held a lead for all of the third quarter and into the fourth before Ramon Sessions' steal and layup tied the game at 81 with 9:17 left.

But that's when Richardson began to heat up, hitting three 3-pointers to help push Philadelphia's lead to 95-87 with 3:55 to go. Charlotte made one last run to pull within four with 1:11 left before Richardson responded with a 3 from the left corner to seal the win.

Despite the loss, Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap is pleased with his team. With seven wins, Charlotte has already matched last season's total.

"I see the improvement within the losing," Dunlap said. "Maybe some don't and maybe they want to rush us. I'd certainly like to win a game like tonight, but I thought we did a marvelous job of coming back into this game. But this is a playoff team we played, so I think we ultimately have to raise our eyes and understand where we're at on the continuum of improvement."

NOTES: Young scored in double digits for the 14th time this season. ... Bobcats backup center Bismack Biyombo continues to make strides, tying a career high with 14 points. However, Biyombo's foul shooting remains an adventure. He went 4 of 8 on Friday night and teams will continue to take advantage of that as long as he's in the game. ... Turner scored 20 or more points for the third time in four games.

Notebook: 76ers 104, Bobcats 98

Derek S. Smith, for NBA.com
Posted Fri Nov 30, 2012 10:30 PM - Updated Fri Nov 30, 2012 10:56 PM

THE FACTS: Jason Richardson scored 14 of his season-high 22 points in the fourth quarter and Evan Turner added a game-high 25 points as the Philadelphia 76ers downed the host Charlotte Bobcats Friday night at Time Warner Cable Arena. Ben Gordon led the Bobcats off the bench with 19 points. It was the third straight win for the 76ers and the third consecutive loss for the Bobcats.

QUOTABLE: "I was just being aggressive out there. We were struggling a little bit in the fourth and when Evan came out of the game I knew I had to pick up my offense and help the team win. We're really sharing the ball right now and finding the open man." -- Philadelphia guard Richardson.

THE STAT: Philadelphia controlled the interior offensively Friday. The 76ers connected on 28-of-45 shots in the paint for a total of 56 points. The claimed 13 offensive rebounds and made eight put backs for 18 total second-chance points. The Bobcats inability to guard in the post has been problematic in their losses

TURNING POINT: Richardson and Turner capped a 12-4 run in impressive fashion to finish off the Bobcats Friday night. The teams were tied at 83 with 7:52 to play when Philly took the lead for good on a Jrue Holliday-assisted 3-pointer from Richardson. Richardson connected on the third three in the spurt for a six-point cushion and then Turner closed out the run with a nifty up and under move on the left side for a 95-87 lead.

QUOTABLE II: "Jason (Richardson) was our ace of spades tonight. I need Jason fresh at the end of games and you can see why. He was tremendous. His threes were big for us and he did a good job chasing on defense. He's key for us." -- Philadelphia coach Doug Collins.

HOT: The 76ers offense was on fire in the first half. Philadelphia was 24-of-41 (58.5 percent) from the floor in the first 24 minutes including 3-of-6 from the 3-point line and a perfect 3-of-3 from the free throw line. Thaddeus Young was the team's top scorer with 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Holiday had 10 assists in the first half and team assisted on 17 of 24 made baskets. For the game the 76ers shot 51.2 percent which represents a season high eclipsing their 49.5 percent shooting night against Oklahoma City.

NOT: Ben Gordon in the second half was limited to just four points. The Bobcats stayed in the game in the first half thanks to a hot-shooting Gordon. The Bobcats guard netted 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting in just 16 minutes of action in the opening half including a perfect 3-of-3 from behind the arc. Gordon however was held to just four points in the second half by the 76ers. When combining the second half against Atlanta on Wednesday and the first half from Friday against the 76ers, Gordon scored 35 points.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Evan Turner is on fire of late for the 76ers. The Philadelphia forward scored a game-high 25 points and 10-of-15 shooting and added 10 rebounds on the night. Turner has scored in double figures in a career-best eight straight games and is averaging 22.3 points in his last four outings. Turner has sunk 6 of his last 11 threes and collected his second double-double in the last five games and fourth overall on the year.

ROOKIE WATCH: Charlotte's pair of rookies continue to play big roles for the team. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist went for 10 points, eight rebounds, two assists and a steal in the loss while Jeff Taylor scored tied his career-high with 16 points with two assists, one steal and one rebound. Philly's Maalik Wayans had five points on the night and now has scored 22 points in his last three games after getting just two points in his first six games played.

NOTABLE: Kidd-Gilchrist scored in double figures for the sixth time in eight games while Taylor posted double figures for the sixth time in seven games. Bismack Biyombo had a career-high tying 14 points. Gordon led the team in scoring for the second straight game and notched his ninth double figure game of the season. Kemba Walker's nine assists matches his season high. Byron Mullens was in double figures for the eighth time in his last nine outings. 76ers guard Holiday tallied 13 points and a career-high 15 assists, posting season highs in assists for 76ers and for a Bobcats opponent. It was his second straight double-double and sixth of the season. Thaddeus Young scored in double figures for the 14th time this season. Lavoy Allen scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to record his first double-double of the season. Richardson scored 20-plus points for the fourth time this season.

UP NEXT: For the 76ers: Saturday @ Chicago, Tuesday vs. Minnesota, Friday vs. Boston. Friday @ Denver. For the Bobcats: Monday vs. Portland, Wednesday vs. New York, Friday @ Milwaukee.

• 76ers: Bynum
• Bobcats: Henderson, Thomas

• 76ers: --
• Bobcats: --

• Lead Changes: 15
• Times Tied: 8

• Arena: Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, NC
• Officials: #9 Derrick Stafford, #71 Rodney Mott, #50 Olandis Poole
• Attendance: 13202
• Duration: 2:00