Raptors 99, Bobcats 78
TORONTO - Alan Anderson came off the bench to score 16 points as the Toronto Raptors got their second straight win by defeating the Charlotte Bobcats 99-78 on Friday at Air Canada Centre.
The Bobcats have lost two in a row.
Jose Calderon added 15 points and six assists for the Raptors. Amir Johnson chipped in with 13 points and eight rebounds while Ed Davis had 12 points and also grabbed eight rebounds.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kemba Walker and Ben Gordon each scored 12 points for the Bobcats. Ramon Sessions had 11 and Jeffrey Taylor added 10 for the Bobcats.
The Raptors (14-22) scored the first six points of the game on their way to a 29-point first quarter and never looked back. They have had the lead all the way in their past three victories, two of them in succession.
Reserve point guard Kyle Lowry hit a 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter to give the Raptors a 21-point lead. Lowry hit another 3-point shot with 4:41 to play to increase Toronto's lead to 90-66.
Taylor's 3-pointer brought Charlotte (9-26) back to within 18 points with 2:38 remaining in the game, but John Lucas came back with a 3-pointer for Toronto as the game wound down with a liberal use of substitutes.
Toronto led by 14 points entering the second half and increased it to 21 when Calderon made a 3-pointer with 8:29 to play in the third quarter. The Bobcats cut the lead to 15, but the Raptors stretched it to 22 after Anderson hit a 3-point shot with 2:22 left in the quarter. The Bobcats reduced the lead to 15 on a reverse layup by Jeff Adrien, but Anderson hit another 3-pointer and Toronto led 76-58 after three quarters.
Calderon scored 10 points in the first quarter as the Raptors opened a 29-16 lead. The lead increased to 21 when Anderson hit a 3-pointer with 8:02 to go in the second quarter, and Toronto went into halftime with a 53-39 lead. Johnson led all scorers in the first half with 11 points and Gordon led Charlotte with 10.
NOTES: Raptors rookie guard Terrence Ross, who suffered a sprained left ankle during the Jan. 6 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder and missed Wednesday's win over the Philadelphia 76ers, was back in the lineup on Friday. ... Forward/center Andrea Bargnani (right elbow), center Jonas Valanciunas (right ring finger) and forward Linas Kleiza (right knee) continue to be out for Toronto. ... Johnson started his third consecutive game at center for Toronto. They are his first starts of the season. ... Anderson played for the Bobcats from 2005-2007. ... Bobcats forward/center Byron Mullens (left ankle) missed his eighth game in a row. ... The Bobcats defeated the Raptors in their previous meeting this season 98-97 at Charlotte. They meet twice more this season. The Bobcats entered Friday having won seven of their past eight meetings with the Raptors. ... The Raptors play Sunday at home against the Milwaukee Bucks. ... The Bobcats visit the Indiana Pacers on Saturday.
