QUARTER-BY-QUARTER ANALYSIS
First quarter: Memphis made the first basket of the game, but it was the Bobcats who started the game strong making six of their first eight shots to build an early 12-6 lead on the Grizzlies. A jump shot by Gerald Wallace at the 5:21 mark helped the Bobcats extend their margin to 8. The Grizzlies, however, rallied, getting hot from the field, connecting on four straight shots, to spur a 9-2 run and pull them within one (20-19) of the Bobcats with 3:47 left in the quarter. Brevin Knight scored eight points for the Bobcats who held a two-point lead (26-24) at the end of one. Shane Battier led the Grizzlies with 10 points in the period.

Second quarter: The Bobcats came out in the second in much the same way they did the first, connecting on four of their first six shots to build a five-point lead (35-30) at the 8:46 mark. At that point, however, Charlotte's offense went ice cold as they missed their next six field goals. The Bobcats field goal drought enabled the Grizzlies to go on an 11-5 run and take a 41-40 lead with 4:44 left in the half. A tip shot by Primoz Brezec briefly gave the Bobcats back the lead, but Mike Miller connected on two three-pointers to help Memphis establish a five-point advantage. The Bobcats offense continued to struggle throughout the remainder of the quarter as they hit only one field goal in the final 4:13 of the period. The Grizzlies, led by 14 points from Miller, who made 4-of-6 shots from three-point range, took a six-point (52-46) lead into the break. After shooting 50.0% in the first quarter, Charlotte finished the second period making just 6-of-23 (26.1%) field goals. Bobcats forward Emeka Okafor had a strong performance in the first half, recording his 44th double-double on the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the first 24 minutes.

Third quarter: Memphis came out the locker room strong, pushing their lead to 10 just one minute into the third period. The Bobcats responded, however, as Keith Bogans connected on two three-pointers to help Charlotte go on 8-2 run and pull within four at the 9:04 mark. Memphis had an answer, going on a 9-4 run of their own, to push their lead back to nine. Five quick points by Matt Carroll again cut the lead to four. Charlotte could not get any closer in the quarter, however, as Memphis scored five straight points to end the period and extend their margin to ten.

Fourth quarter: The Grizzlies continued to build on their lead as Dahntay Jones hit a jump shot at the 10:32 mark to give Memphis a 12-point lead. Facing a double digit deficit, the Bobcats did not stop fighting, however. With the Grizzlies holding a 92-80 lead with 4:58 remaining in the contest, the Bobcats, spurred on by nine points from Brevin Knight, went on a 13-5 run and closed the gap to four with 1:40 left on the clock. Three free throws by Shane Battier combined with a fade away jumper from Earl Watson in the game's final minute and a half helped propel the Grizzlies to a 102-95 win. Brevin Knight finished with a season-high 22 points along with 10 assists. Rookie of the Year candidate Emeka Okafor also had a strong performance for the Bobcats recording 19 points and 18 rebounds. Shane Battier led the Grizzlies with 15 points and 11 rebounds while Mike Miller connected on five-of-eight three-pointers en route to 21 points.

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GM & HEAD COACH BERNIE BICKERSTAFF SAYS...
“We gave it a shot, they are just better. It started in the last two minutes of the first half when we capitulated to screens and allowed (Mike) Miller some open 3’s. Then someone else for them hit a three and they were able to take control of the game with momentum. We left it all on the court. We played with them but we just missed shots down the stretch. They are a good basketball team. I thought we somewhat controlled (Pau) Gasol. We tried to double on him and make him play defense. We gave them a battle.”

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INSIDE THE LOCKER ROOM

BREVIN KNIGHT
On the game “I think that the guys wanted to win this one for me. I applaud them for trying to do that. We played hard tonight. They are a good team. We were in it to the end. The turnover towards the end hurt our chances. Earlier in the game, we had some missed assignments and left Mike Miller open for some shots. I’m just really proud of our guys.”

On playing in Memphis “Charlotte is home for me now. I enjoyed my time here. We just came up a few shots short tonight. It’s no fault of anyone in this locker room tonight.”

PRIMOZ BREZEC
On the goals for the rest of the season “Our goal is to win as many games as possible. We are going to show up every night. We have six games left and we are going to try to win every one of them.”

On the play of Shane Battier “They were posting Shane (Battier) a lot in the paint. We tried to double team him and he found open teammates. I think the game came to a pass when our big guys couldn’t finish around the basket and make plays. Shane was causing too many strips under the rim and we can’t let that happen.”