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 Douglas-Roberts received the inbounds pass from forward Josh
McRoberts, got a nice screen from center Al Jefferson and made a
running six-footer at the buzzer to give the Charlotte Bobcats a
95-93 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night.
"Great shot, great play, great game, great win," Jefferson said.
"Tough shot ... going left ... I couldn't picture it any better."
Douglas-Roberts finished with only five points, all in the fourth
quarter, to help the Bobcats come back from a 15-point deficit in
the final period. He said it was his first game-winning shot since
his college days at Memphis in 2007.
"I had a job to do," Douglas-Roberts said. "(Guards) Gary Neal and
Luke Ridnour basically carried us up to that point and I got a shot
to win the game. I feel like that's the least I can do to help these
guys, the way they carried us the whole quarter."
The off-balanced shot looked awkward but Douglas-Roberts said, "I've
been making that shot my whole life. I felt confident with that
shot."
Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said, "He made a great shot to win the
game."
Jefferson scored 27 points to lead the Bobcats.
With the game tied at 91-91, Jefferson took a pass from Neal and
knocked down a five-footer. Atlanta then tied the game on a 16-foot
jumper by guard Lou Williams.
Jefferson, who added 15 rebounds, recorded a double-double for the
eighth straight game. He has 41 double-doubles on the season. The
nine-year veteran was held to an average of 16.7 points in the first
three meetings against Atlanta. On Monday, he made his first four
shots and had 12 points in the opening quarter en route to his
seventh consecutive game with 20 or more points.
The win ensured Charlotte (42-39) of its second winning record in
franchise history, joining the 2009-10 team. The Bobcats broke an
11-game losing streak against the Hawks and ended a 12-game losing
streak against playoff-bound teams.
Charlotte remains one game behind the Washington Wizards (43-38) in
the battle for the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Each team has one game remaining, and the Bobcats hold the
tiebreaker after winning the season series 3-1. Charlotte plays host
to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, the same day Washington plays the
Celtics in Boston.
Either the Bobcats or the Wizards will finish seventh and face a
first-round playoff matchup against the second-seeded Miami Heat.
The bench provided crucial points Monday for Charlotte. Neal scored
17 points, 10 in the fourth quarter, and Ridnour scored 10 points,
all in the fourth quarter.
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Charlotte also celebrated the return of guard Kemba Walker, who
missed the previous two games. Walker scored five points but had a
team-leading seven assists.
Atlanta, which previously sewed up the No. 8 playoff spot in the
Eastern Conference, opted not to play three of its starters, forward
Paul Millsap, forward DeMarre Carroll and guard Kyle Korver. Millsap
and Carroll both have been bothered both by sore wrists, and Korver
continues to nurse a delicate back that caused him to miss six games
with spasms.
The Hawks also rested starting point guard Jeff Teague and center
Pero Antic in the fourth quarter.
"When you're in our situation, health and all those things are a
priority," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "It was an opportunity
to get them a little bit of rest, an opportunity to get guys reps on
defense and offense and all the different things we do."
Atlanta (37-44) was led by forward Mike Scott, who scored 20 points.
Five other players scored in double figures, including Williams and
guard Shelvin Mack with 13 each.
But Atlanta was outscored 30-13 in the final period and was 4-for-16
from the field.
"There are areas in the fourth quarter we can all look at and
address and improve," Budenholzer said. "Some our young guys got
great opportunities. There's a lot to take from tonight."
NOTES: Steve Koonin, the president of Turner Entertainment Networks,
was named co-owner and CEO of the Atlanta Hawks. Koonin will oversee
all business, financial and strategic operations of the Hawks and
Philips Arena. ... Atlanta G Jeff Teague was selected the NBA's
Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played April 7-13.
He averaged 20.3 points, 5.8 assists and 1.75 steals for the week
and helped the Hawks got 3-1. ... Atlanta finishes the regular
season Wednesday against the Bucks in Milwaukee.
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