Bobcats pounce on Lakers to turn heat on Miami

CHARLOTTE, (Reuters) – The Charlotte Bobcats posted  a convincing 98-83 win over the Western Conference-leading Los  Angeles Lakers to gain ground on a playoff spot on Friday.

The win moved the Bobcats (29-31) to within a game of the  Miami Heat for the eighth and final playoff berth in the  Eastern Conference.

Stephen Jackson led the Bobcats with 21 points, as  Charlotte won for the first time in three games and handed the  Lakers only their third back-to-back loss of the season.

“We played with confidence and we didn’t back down,”  Jackson told reporters. “I think we were the more aggressive  team tonight. I wish we could play against good teams like that  every night, maybe we would bring the energy and the fire that  we need.

“Tonight we hit on all cylinders and we followed our game  plan and that’s why we got the win.”

The Bobcats’ bench scored 40 points, including 14 from  recently acquired Tyrus Thomas and 12 from D.J. Augustin.

“He’s so long and athletic, and he cares about winning,”  said Bobcats coach Larry Brown about Thomas. “He reminds me a  lot of Gerald Wallace in terms of attitude; they both want to  get better. That shot-blocking changes a lot of things. There  aren’t as many easy shots, and we’re going after shots and that  helps.”

Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 26 points but the Lakers  struggled from the floor, hitting just 36 percent of their  shots including just three of 18 from three-point range.

Andrew Bynum had 14 points for the Lakers and Jordan Farmar  had 12 off the bench. Starters Ron Artest and Derek Fisher  combined for just five points.

Charlotte, now 21-8 at home, are one of just two teams with  winning records against the Lakers, and are now 7-2 in their  all-time series. The Celtics are the other team with a winning  record against LA.

“They play with a lot of energy. They play their game and  we seem like we try to play their game, which they’re really  good at,” said the Lakers’ Pau Gasol.

“We are going away from our strengths, and we have no  rhythm and no confidence in what we are doing out there.”