No Wallace For Bobcats
The Charlotte Bobcats had trouble winning with Gerald Wallace in their lineup. Things could get worse for the club without their leading scorer in uniform.
With Wallace out indefinitely due to injury, the Bobcats look to avoid a fourth straight loss when they visit the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.
Oddsmakers from SBG Global have made New York –6 point spread favorites (NBA Odds) for today’s game, the over/under has been set at 197 total points (Matchup). Our public betting information shows that 59% of bets for this game have been placed on New York -6 (View NBA Bet Percentages).
Charlotte (19-37) lost 110-95 at Washington on Saturday in its first game without Wallace since he was knocked unconscious by an inadvertent elbow to the face from Sacramento’s Mikki Moore in a 116-115 overtime loss on Friday.
Wallace, who averages 20.6 points and 6.2 rebounds, has been experiencing post-concussion symptoms that include soreness in his neck and jaw since the injury. The team originally said he could be out for at least two weeks, but now that he is expected to be examined by a neurologist this week, it’s unclear when he’ll be able to return.
Charlotte, which has lost 10 of its last 11 games, is 1-6 without Wallace in the lineup this season.
"I just hope he gets back and gets healthy, because life is so much bigger than basketball," Charlotte rookie Jared Dudley told the team’s official Web site.
The Bobcats could certainly use Wallace, who suffered his fourth concussion in four seasons, as they try for their first win since the All-Star break. The 6-foot-7 forward scored 27 points in Charlotte’s 105-95 home win over New York on Dec. 21 in the teams’ most recent meeting.
"It’s going to be tough," said Charlotte’s Jason Richardson, who is averaging 20.3 points per game. "Gerald brings a lot of production and a lot of energy for us. He’s our leading scorer. We’ve got to have other guys step up, and I think other guys will step up."
Charlotte, one of the NBA’s worst road teams at 4-20, looks to snap a seven-game losing streak away from home since a 107-100 win at the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 28.
Richardson had 25 points Saturday for the Bobcats, who shot 50.0 percent, but were outrebounded 46-36, and outscored 59-43 in the second half. Richardson has scored 54 points on 21-for-37 shooting in his last two contests, and had 17 against the Knicks in December.
Though the Bobcats have struggled on the road, they have won two of their last three visits to Madison Square Garden.
New York (17-39), two games back of the 13th-place Bobcats in the Eastern Conference, look to bounce back from a 115-92 loss at Toronto on Sunday as it split a home-and-home series with the Raptors.
Jamal Crawford had 26 points and Nate Robinson added 20 for the Knicks, who shot 38.3 percent and were outscored 30-15 in the third quarter.
"The first four to five minutes of the third quarter, they came out and shot the ball well and they really knocked us out,” Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said.
Crawford, who had a season-high 43 points in Friday’s win over Toronto, is averaging 25.6 points in his last eight contests. Robinson, meanwhile, had 20 in the December loss to Charlotte.
New York, which has alternated wins and losses in its last six contests, looks to win consecutive games at home for the first time since Jan. 13-15.
By: Marc Young – theSpread.com – Email Us
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