Thunder Squanders Big Lead in Loss to Charlotte

Originally Published: Mar 17, 2010 9:4 PM CDT

Corey DeMoss
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – The Oklahoma City Thunder led by as much as 19 points in the first half but went cold after halftime on the way to a 100-92 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats Wednesday.

The Thunder (41-25) took advantage of cold Charlotte shooting early in the game to build its big lead. Charlotte started shooting 1-of-7, allowing Oklahoma City to start the game on a 10-2 run. The Bobcats (35-32) shot just 39 percent in the first half, while the Thunder shot 49 percent.

OKC led by 11 after the first quarter and built that advantage to 19 points midway through the second quarter, but the Bobcats started to turn the momentum as the half wound down. Charlotte went on a late run to cut the lead to 51-43 at halftime, and the Bobcats’ momentum continued into the second half.

Down 57-48 early in the third quarter, the Bobcats went on a 15-4 to take their first lead since scoring the game’s first basket. The teams traded scores for the rest of the quarter, and Charlotte carried a three-point lead into the fourth quarter.

After the Bobcats built a lead of as much as seven, OKC managed to cut the advantage to two at 86-84 but could never retake the lead. Charlotte made late free throws to extend its and clinch the game.

Kevin Durant led all scorers with 26 points, but went through a 14-minute scoreless streak in the second half that helped the Bobcats take the lead. Russell Westbrook recorded another double-double with 15 points and 10 assists, and Nick Collison added 15 points off the bench.

Stephen Jackson led Charlotte with 20 points, and four of the Bobcats’ starters scored 13 or more points. After finishing the first quarter shooting 7-of-23, Charlotte made 30 of its final 54 shots.

The loss snaps the Thunder’s five-game winning streak and kicks off a three-game road trip that will continue at 6 p.m. Friday against Toronto (32-33).