[Recap][20041105]Washington 103, Charlotte 96
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Nov. 4 (Ticker) -- Antawn Jamison made sure there would be no
postgame celebration for the expansion Charlotte Bobcats.
Jamison, a Charlotte native, scored 24 points to lead five players in double
figures as the Washington Wizards defeated the Bobcats, 103-96, in their
landmark first regular-season contest.
"To have a state that's going to support basketball and really take it
seriously, not to have the NBA was disappointing," said Jamison, a Charlotte
native. "But the NBA recognized that. I think it is just a matter of time
before things are back to the way they used to be."
The Wizards, who rode Jamison's 34 points to a win at Memphis on Wednesday, are
2-0 for the first time since 1994. Washington's last 3-0 start came in 1978,
when the Bullets won their first four games.
With the contest tied, 85-85, midway through the fourth quarter, Washington
went on a 9-0 run to take the lead for the good. Juan Dixon came off the bench
to pour in 13 of his 15 points in the final period.
"I was playing with a chip on my shoulder," Dixon said. "I wanted to show
people I could come and play. I'm going to keep on helping my teammates and
hopefully we will continue to keep winning."
Gilbert Arenas made his season debut after sitting out the opener due to a
league suspension and scored 19 points for the Wizards. Jarvis Hayes chipped
in 17 points and Larry Hughes - also suspended Wednesday - added 14.
Six Charlotte players scored in double figures, led by Emeka Okafor, who had 19
points and 10 rebounds as he became the fourth rookie to start in an expansion
team's opening game. Steve Smith and Primoz Brezec, who scored the franchise's
first bucket, each added 15.
The Bobcats committed eight turnovers in the fourth quarter, which led to 10
points for the Wizards.
"We played hard," said Smith, who has the most experience on a very young
roster. "But I think they executed a little better at the end. It's a learning
process. But we're not going to make that an excuse. This is one we had in our
hands and they pulled it out."
The NBA returned to Charlotte for the first time since the Hornets left for
New Orleans two years ago. Owner Bob Johnson, the first black majority owner of
a major pro sports franchise, spoke to fans before the game and asked them to
believe in the Bobcats.
"The crowd was real animated and we appreciate that," Smith said. "We hope they
enjoyed our first performance, even though we didn't get a win. There are no
moral victories. We'll just go back to the drawing board and try and get a
win."
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※ 編輯: ymcdc 來自: 218.166.156.168 (11/05 22:37)
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