Nov 24, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards small forward Martell Webster (9) is fouled by Charlotte Bobcats small forward Jeffery Taylor (44) during the first half at the Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The Charlotte Bobcats defeated the Washington Wizards 119-114 Monday night to end Washington’s three-game winning streak. Gerald Henderson continued his hot play with 27 points and Kemba Walker scored nine of his 18 points in the fourth quarter. It was another consecutive game where the backcourt of Henderson and Walker were the bright spots of Charlotte’s offense.

Henderson came into tonight’s game averaging a little over 22 points in his previous five games. Henderson, who will be a restricted free agent in the summer, is showing a lot of improvement in his offensive game and jumpshot.

Drafted four seasons ago, Henderson is starting to turn into an offensive weapon and has given the Bobcats an added dimension late in the season. Henderson got to the line 11 times and shot 50% from the field tonight against the Wizards. The Bobcats fielded trade calls for Henderson at the NBA’s Trade Deadline, but his recent stretch of play could make the team re-consider his long-term future in Charlotte.

Josh McRoberts started his fifth straight game for the Bobcats and finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists. McRoberts, who was acquired at the NBA’s Trade Deadline from the Orlando Magic, has been a bright spot for Charlotte in 12 games with his activity on both sides of the ball.

Ben Gordon chipped in 19 points off the bench, while Jannero Pargo and Byron Mullens combined for 23.

John Wall led the Wizards with 25 points. Wall came into the game averaging a little over 22 points and 10 assists in his last five games. Former Bobcat Emeka Okafor had 17 points and nine rebounds, while NeNe had 21 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Martell Webster, who entered the game shooting the ball well, was held to just 12 points on 3-7 from the field.

Both the Bobcats and Wizards shot over 50% from the field in what was an entertaining shootout between two young teams. The Bobcats victory clinches the season series between the two teams.

Nov 24, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards small forward Martell Webster (9) passes the ball as Charlotte Bobcats small forward Jeffery Taylor (44) defends during the second half at the Verizon Center. The Bobcats defeated the Wizards 108 – 106 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The Charlotte Bobcats are an hour away from tipping off against the Washington Wizards from Time Warner Cable Arena. The Wizards pummeled the Bobcats in the teams last meeting in Washington D.C. Trevor Ariza had 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Martell Webster had 20 points. Webster has been one of the most underrated free agent signings this season.

Making just a little over $1.7 million this season, Webster is averaging over 20 points in his last five games. He’s also shooting 51% from three and 49% from the field in that same span. After dealing with injuries in past seasons, Webster is finally healthy and has been shooting lights out all season.

The Bobcats, who struggle defending the three-point line, are going to have to be careful with him and Bradley Beal on the perimeter tonight. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will get the assignment of containing Webster’s fire from distance.

John Wall has also been on a tear lately. The former Kentucky Wildcat is averaging 22 points, 10 assists and five rebounds in his last five games. Wall is starting to show why he was so highly coveted and taken #1 overall three seasons ago. Wall and Kemba Walker should be another good matchup of young point guards.

The Wizards have been showcasing a good mix of young talent and veteran players and have hit 100 points or more in three of their last five games. They’re gaining confidence as the season reaches the finish line and looking to string together wins to build on for next season.

We’ve mentioned all season how the Wizards are one of those teams that are better than their record. The team they have could certainly be a playoff team next year in what’s proven to be a weak Eastern Conference. The Bobcats have matched up well in previous meetings, but I’m not so sure they’re going to be able to handle the Wizards and how they’ve been playing lately.

The Bobcats will looking for their 15th win of the season in the Queen City after a tough two-game swing on the road against the Raptors and Celtics.

February 22, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards point guard John Wall (2) celebrates with Wizards point guard A.J. Price (12) against the Denver Nuggets in the fourth quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 119-113. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Wizards defeated the Charlotte Bobcats 104-87 Saturday night. Trevor Ariza led the Wizards with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and went 5-8 from three. Martell Webster had 20 points and Nene had 19 points to send the Wizards to their 20th win of the season. The Bobcats have now lost ten consecutive games with nine of those losses by double digits.

Kemba Walker had 29 points and Gerald Henderson had 17 to lead an offensively weak Bobcats starting lineup. The Bobcats were outrebounded and shot just above %40 from the field. Ben Gordon led the Bobcats bench with 13 points.

Going into the game, this seemed like one of the best chances for the Bobcats to get their 14th victory. In the second quarter, the Wizards put an end to those thoughts with a 32-18 quarter. The Bobcats at some points cut into the lead and looked like they were going onto a run to make it competitive, but the Wizards quickly put them back down.

Tonight’s win was the first of the season against Charlotte for the Wizards. The Bobcats took two games earlier this season. John Wall played in neither of those games though. Wall had 13 points and six assists in 30 minutes tonight.

Again as I watched tonight’s game, I thoroughly searched for things that the Bobcats were getting better at, or something that fans can take into the offseason as encouragement. As I saw Jeffrey Taylor do an isolation from the elbow, dribble past the free throw line to shoot a fade away that got nothing but air, nothing came to mind.

Not enough ranting and raving can do justice to describing the lack of order or accountability that’s on this team right now. There just isn’t structure, and that’s the biggest thing that comes with being a coach. Putting a system in place that the coach and players believe in. Right now I don’t know if anyone believes in anything going on out there. Each press conference Coach Dunlap and the players all talk about different things that need to be fixed, and nothing happens. It’s just talk, and when you watch the Bobcats on the floor, the actions speak volumes.

In comparison, the Wizards are a team that’s been bad this season, but even when they were bad there was effort and more importantly the team was defending. The Wizards surprisingly are one of the top defensive teams in the league by statistical measures, and doing it without an anchor. It’s very impressive, and if they didn’t have injuries to their top players this season, they could be fighting for a playoff spot.

With 19 games left, the Bobcats season just seems to be taking its time winding down to its end. They hit rock botttom a while ago, so nothing’s really a surprise these days. But long-term, it’s troublesome when they can’t even stay competitive in games that on paper they should have a decent chance of winning.

Nov 24, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards small forward Martell Webster (9) is fouled by Charlotte Bobcats small forward Jeffery Taylor (44) during the first half at the Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The Charlotte Bobcats haven’t had much luck against any teams this season. Against the Washington Wizards, the Bobcats are undefeated with two victories this season. The Bobcats are heading back to the nation’s capital tonight to face off with John Wall and the Wizards.

Last night the Bobcats were pummeled by the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-94. Gerald Henderson led all scorers in the game with 21 points while Ben Gordon chipped in 18 off the bench.

The loss to Oklahoma City increased Charlotte’s losing streak to nine games and their consecutive double-digit loss streak to eight games. With the Bobcats matching up against the Wizards better than any team they’ve faced this season, tonight might be their opportunity to pull out their 14th win.

The Wizards haven’t been slouches though. Despite an injury to John Wall that kept him out at the beginning of the season, the Wizards remained competitive and seen progress from their rookie Bradley Beal.

Since the new year kicked in, the former Florida Gator sharpshooter has been on a tear. He’s shooting way above 40% from three and also the field. His efficiency ics getting better, his confidence is noticeable and he’s showing why so many teams coveted him around draft time. Post all-star break Beal is averaging just above 20 points per game with six rebounds.

The return of John Wall has made the Wizards a much more difficult “bad” team to face. Going forward Wall and Beal could be one of the more explosive backcourt tandems in the league, which should make for a fun watch when they face Kemba Walker and Gerald Henderson.

One of the main things that separates the Wizards and Bobcats is the defense of the Wizards. The Wizards are 6th in opp. points per game and 3rd in opp. field goal%. Quietly they’ve made a large improvement defensively. The Bobcats in two meetings have surpassed their defense and found ways to win.

For Bobcats fans who want to see a victory, tonight should be one of the first games in a while you can look forward to. There’s no lock the Bobcats will win, but it’s a much larger chance than the last 10 or so games they’ve had combined. We’ll see if the Bobcats can put an end to their losing streak tonight against the red, white and blue of the Wizards.

Nov 24, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; Charlotte Bobcats center Byron Mullens (22) shoots a jump shot against the Washington Wizards during the second half at the Verizon Center. The Bobcats defeated the Wizards 108 – 106 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-US PRESSWIRE

If there’s one thing the Bobcats have improved on this season, it’s their composure. Rich Cho’s offseason acquisitions and Mike Dunlap’s head coaching have put this team in the right position to make better decisions in close games. That improvement showed tonight, as the Charlotte Bobcats defeated the Washington Wizards, 108-106 in double overtime. The Bobcats improve to 7-5, matching their win total from last season, while the Wizards fell to 0-11.

In today’s game preview we posted keys to the game on both sides of the ball. Let’s see how each one went:

Offense:

1. Do not understimate the Wizards. The Bobcats didn’t take this take this team lightly at all, and played a tough, competitive game in the nations capital. Sometimes fans see that a team is struggling or in the Wizards case, winless, and assume it’s an easy victory. The Wizards though have been competing hard.
2. The Wizards defense will surprise you. It took overtime for the Wizards to give up 100 points. The Bobcats shot just 41% from the field, though they did shoot well from distance.
3. Keep getting to the line. Ramon Sessions once again led the team in free throw attempts, getting 11 of them. A lot of players followed behind him, as the Bobcats finished with 36 free throw attempts on the night. This was three less than Washington’s attempts, but this certainly helped the Bobcats offensively.
4. Byron Mullens. Mullens played one of his best games this season. 27 points, 8 rebounds, 5-10 from three, 9-15 from the field in 41 minutes. Mullens led the team in scoring and showed why the team is going to need his offense to stay in games. He’s our best offensive weapon in the frontcourt for better or worse. Tonight was evidence of the former.
5. Bench scoring. The Bobcats bench was led by 40 combined points from Sessions and Ben Gordon. For the game, the bench had 45 points. It was a solid performance from the two leaders in the second unit, but Washington still outscored them with their first-ranked bench scoring. The Wizards bench had 68 points.

Defense:

1. Consistency. There were a few slip ups, but overall the Bobcats played well defensively. They held a terrible Wizards offense to  36% shooting and 22% from three. The Bobcats forced 20 turnovers and scored 24 points off it.
2. Defend the three point line. The Bobcats shot 22% from three, big check here. The Wizards aren’t a good three-point shooting team, but they aren’t afraid to take the shots.
3. Rebounding. The Bobcats were outrebounded big tonight, mainly on the offensive glass. The Wizards were +13 with their offensive rebounding which was the difference in the total rebounding battle. Neither the Bobcats or Wizards are strong rebounding squads so something had to give, and unfortunately it wasn’t in the Bobcats favor.
4. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Another pretty good night from MKG defensively.
5. Close the game out. It took two overtimes, but the Bobcats got the job done, held their composure, and were able to keep the Wizards winless. Clearly there are things that still need work, but winning close games like these will definitely help this young team in the long-term.

Overall, I’m very pleased with the win for the Bobcats. It’s good to know that you can win a game like this, especially when your best player so far this season in Kemba Walker went 3-17. Next up the Bobcats will go on the road for a tough test against the Oklahoma City Thunder Monday.

November 9, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; Charlotte Bobcats point guard Ramon Sessions (7) drives past New Orleans Hornets center Robin Lopez (15) during the second half of a game at the New Orleans Arena. The Hornets defeated the Bobcats 107-99. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

After having a three-game win streak snapped by the Atlanta Hawks, the Charlotte Bobcats are preparing to face another division foe tonight. The Bobcats are on the road to face the Washington Wizards, who are winless ten games into the NBA season. The Wizards are still playing without point guard John Wall, who is healing from an injury.

Obviously no team wants to be “that team” who gave the Wizards their first win, so lets take a look at what the keys will be on both sides of the ball:

On offense:

1. Do not underestimate this Wizards. They have lost seven of their 10 games by seven points or less. Their effort is there and they are competing, but they have trouble closing out games without John Wall and another proven late scorer.
2. The Wizards defense will surprise you. They rank 10th in defensive rating, first in the league in opponents threes allowed, and first in opponents PPG. Now some of these stats can easily be attributed to them being one of only two teams to play 10 games this season, but they are playing solid defense, and it isn’t the reason they’re losing games.
3. Keep getting to the line. Ramon Sessions has done a great job of attacking the basket and creating contact at the rim off the bench. Hopefully more players follow suit, so we don’t go through the dry spells we did last night. Be aggressive off the dribble.
4. Byron Mullens. He’s shooting 36% from the field his last five games, as well as 18% from three in 34mpg. For better or worse, he’s the best offensive big man we have right now, so hopefully he can get up some good shots, be effective tonight.
5. Bench scoring. The Bobcats are 7th in the league in points off the bench. Guess who’s #1? The Wizards. The Bobcats bench scoring has been a welcome addition this season, and we’re going to need Sessions, Gordon and others to be big tonight.

November 13, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Bobcats forward Tyrus Thomas (12) loses the ball as he is defended by Washington Wizards forward Kevin Seraphin (13) during the game at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-US PRESSWIRE

The Charlotte Bobcats moved back to .500 on the season after running through the Washington Wizards Tuesday night.

This is the first time since 2009 the Bobcats have been at .500 this late in the season.

Yes, I know, it seems a little funny to say “this late in the season”, but everything is relative, my friends.

Anyway, how did the ‘Cats pull this win off?

Well, without Nene and John Wall, the Wizards are one of the worst teams in basketball (with those two, they could be dangerous).

This game was about the players on the court, too, though.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had another strong game, scoring 15 points on six-of-11 shooting to go along with eight rebounds and a block. Kemba Walker didn’t shoot that well, making five of his 13 shots, but he went six-of-seven from the charity stripe and scored 17 points. The most impressive Bobcat of the night, though, was Walker’s fellow floor general, Ramon Sessions. The former Myrtle Beach Seahawk scored 21 points on seven-of-18 shooting and grabbed five rebounds.

As for the Wizards? Well, um… Yeah…

Trevor Ariza scored 19 points on 18 shots and grabbed six rebounds. No one else on his team scored more than nine points.

Bradley Beal, who many though the Bobcats should’ve taken with the second overall pick in the 2012 draft, scored just eight points on 11 shots.

As a team the ‘Cats didn’t do anything particularly well, though. They shot 39 percent from the floor, 23 percent from behind the arc and tied Washington on the boards. They did shoot above 80 percent from the free-throw line, though and won the turnover battle 12-17.

Charlotte will look to move back over .500 at Minnesota on Wednesday at 8 pm.

Apr 23, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards small forward Maurice Evans (6) attempts a layup over Charlotte Bobcats guard Gerald Henderson (15) during the first half at the Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-US PRESSWIRE

The Charlotte Bobcats begin their preseason schedule this Sunday against the Washington Wizards.

Already, there’s some intrigue when these teams face each other.

Was Michael Kidd-Gilchrist the right pick at number two in the NBA draft? Or, should the ‘Cats have selected the sharpshooter Bradley Beal.

Both players will have the chance to make their case Sunday, and if I had to guess, Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap is probably going to match Kidd-Gilchrist up with Beal.

Another interesting battle to watch when these teams face off will be in the front court.

Can Tyrus Thomas finally unlock his potential and turn it into on-the-court success? Will Bismack Biyombo take a leap forward defensively, or will he have the same problems he did last year against shot-fakes and players who could take him out to the key. And, who exactly is Byron Mullens? Just a stretch-the-floor power forward who will come off the bench and score some points, or an important piece of Charlotte’s puzzle offensively and on the glass?

Washington’s front court will test all of those guys.

The Wizards will throw guys like Nene, Trevor Booker, and Jan Vesley at the Bobcats’ big men. All three of those guys posses skills that will challenge Thomas, Biyombo and Mullens.

If they’re up to the task, they can start the preseason off like they played in the Las Vegas Summer League, with a win.

If they aren’t, the game will end up like the vast majority of ‘Cats regular season games last season… not well for Charlotte fans.