Davis Leads Bulls Past Bobcats 94-90
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Ben Gordon got knocked down by good friend Emeka Okafor, picked himself up, and calmly sank a 3-pointer that sealed the Chicago Bulls’ 94-90 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday night.
Okafor and Gordon, roommates at Connecticut while leading the Huskies to the national title last year and the Nos. 2 and 3 picks in the NBA draft, are battling each other for the Rookie of the Year honors this season.
Okafor won the statistical fight with 26 points and 12 rebounds to lead Charlotte.
But Gordon had the big basket to win the game.
When Gordon went up for a layup late in the fourth quarter, Okafor went over his head and simply plucked the ball away from Gordon while knocking him to the ground.
Okafor hustled down the court while Gordon picked himself up off the floor, trailing the play. After a Bobcats miss, Gordon calmly hit a 3 with 1:15 to play that gave Chicago a 93-88 lead.
Okafor made a pair of free throws to cut it to 93-90 with 53 seconds to play. Kirk Hinrich missed for Chicago, Brevin Knight got the rebound for Charlotte but Jason Hart missed a 3 with 20 seconds to go.
Tyson Chandler got the rebound, was fouled, and made one of his free throws to lock up the victory.
Antonio Davis led Chicago with 20 points, Eddy Curry had 16 and Othella Harrington scored 12. Gordon and Hinrich had 11 each.
Kareem Rush scored 13 for Charlotte and Knight added 10 for the Bobcats, who were thin on bodies. Gerald Wallace (sprained right wrist) and Bernard Robinson (sprained left foot) did not dress, center Primoz Brezec was ill and Rush left with a sprained right knee in the fourth quarter.
Okafor was also sick, fighting a bout of bronchitis that had coach Bernie Bickerstaff reluctant to start him. But he was on the floor at the opening tip and jumped out to a quick start by scoring eight of Charlotte’s first 15 points.
The Bobcats could have used the same effort from Brezec, who was initially on the bench in uniform, but went to the locker room at halftime and never came back out. Without him in the lineup, Curry had his way around the basket and converted a handful of rim-rattling dunks.
So it fell to Okafor to carry Charlotte both offensively and defensively. He did both, ending the first half with 15 points and eight rebounds while helping Charlotte out to a 56-51 lead at the break.
The Bobcats stretched their lead to 62-53 early in the third quarter, but the Bulls answered with a 16-2 run to pull ahead. Gordon scored a 3, then made a trio of free throws when he was fouled by Knight, and Knight was called for a technical for arguing.
Gordon’s third shot gave Chicago a 69-64 lead.
Notes:@ Chicago coach Scott Skiles would not weigh in on the Rookie of the Year debate between Gordon and Okafor. “I like all my rookies,” said Skiles, who has four on his roster. … The Bobcats are eyeing three different point guards – Derrick Zimmerman of Columbus’s NBDL team, and Cory Alexander from the Roanoke franchise, as well as Jermaine Jackson of the CBA’s Great Lakes Storm – and hope to have one signed soon. … Wallace was named a co-captain before the game, taking the place of Steve Smith, who was traded Thursday to Miami.