Gerald Henderson had the best game of his pro career, scoring 19 points while helping the Bobcats defeat the Washington Wizards, 104-89.
Henderson was given the starting nod because Gerald Wallace was unable to play, and he used the opportunity to display the sheer athleticism and intriguing raw ability that made him a lottery pick. The Cats' other top performers included D.J. Augustin, who arguably outplayed John Wall, and Stephen Jackson, who returned from injury with solid all-around production.
While the Wizards might end up with the worst record in the league, they're a better team today than they have been for most of the season, and should probably be considered among the relatively competitive lottery teams, not one of the league's cupcakes.
Game thread comment, lowlights, and highlights after the jump.
GAME THREAD COMMENT
MMA_Pitbull -- Liv has made the Felton loss more easy. DJ has played well but Liv has been just as solid if not more so of a back up then DJ was.
BAD
-- Tyrus Thomas's defense was typically excellent. He's a lot like Crash in that way: even when he's bringing negative production on offense, he's almost certainly contributing positively on defense. That said, shooting 2-13 in tonight's game deserves special mention and might prompt some concern. If anything, it proves how fluky his excellent shooting early in the season was, and now he's settling back in to his career norms. Shoot less, Tyrus. And if you're gonna shoot more, get to the rim.
-- Eduardo Najera did something pretty difficult. He played 10 minutes, shot 1-1 for 2 points, committed 2 fouls, had 1 turnover, and had 0 assists, rebounds, steals, or blocks.
GOOD
-- The Cats had four players hovering around double-double territory. Henderson led the way, scoring 19 points on 8-11 shooting from the field, and also pulling down 9 rebounds and blocking 3 shots. Two of the prettiest plays of the game were when Henderson drove the baseline for an open dunk -- just too quick -- and then when he grabbed a rebound and threw a perfect outlet pass for a breakaway dunk by Boris Diaw.
-- Speaking of Diaw, he scored 11 points on 8 shots, and grabbed 10 rebounds.
-- Jackson needed 16 shots to score 21 points, and he got 10 rebounds and 5 assists.
-- Augustin scored 20 points on 6-11 shooting, and dished 9 assists. I'm wary of the appeal of false narrative, but it's difficult to ignore that Augustin's resurgence directly corresponds to Paul Silas's arrival.