Led by Guillermo Diaz’s 14 points, the Charlotte Bobcats easily handled the New York Knicks on Saturday, 103-71, in what was Charlotte’s final game of the 2008 NBA Summer League Presented by EA SPORTS. The win is the largest margin of victory in the desert classic.
The Bobcats finished their summer schedule with a record of 2-3, while the Knicks, who play their final game of the summer against Kevin Love and the Minnesota Timberwolves tomorrow, fell to 2-2.
The balanced Charlotte offense was rounded out by Orien Greene, who finished with 13 points, and the trio of Marcus Slaughter, Kyle Visser and Jermareo Davidson, who each finished with 10 in the blowout.
“I felt pretty good today,”
said Green of the win. “The win was important for us today because we won our first game and then dropped the middle three. We really wanted to come out with great energy and go home on a win today.”
Despite neither team scoring for the first two minutes of the quarter, the Knicks and the Bobcats finished the first period strong, with Charlotte owning a six-point lead, 26-20. The Bobcats pulled ahead in the second quarter, stretching their lead to as many as 12 points, 51-39, at the end of the half. Slaughter led the Bobcats's scoring at the half with eight points.
In the third quarter, Charlotte outscored New York 24-12, to build a cushy 75-51 lead going into the fourth quarter. Going into the fourth, the Bobcats outscored the Knicks 28-20, to take a commanding 34-point lead en route to posting the win.
New York’s squad was led by 2007 NBA Summer League MVP Nate Robinson who scored 11 points, all from the line, for the Knicks.
