-The last time the Toronto Raptors took on the Charlotte Bobcats, the Raps failed to execute late in the game, culminating in an Andrea Bargnani 3 point attempt that was stolen by Stephen Jackson. If you took out that last play, tonight's game was pretty much a replay of this previous match-up, with Toronto faltering down the stretch en route to a 97 to 91 loss.
-And, in the same fashion as last game, it was players like Tyrus Thomas and Gerald Wallace who made key plays when it counted, giving their team the win. Wallace had 16 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 4 blocks, while Thomas had 14 points, 7 boards and 2 blocks of his own.
-However the most dominant Bobcat on the night was Nazr Mohammed who had 18 points and 8 rebounds in only 18 minutes of action. His play inside set the tone early and Charlotte crushed Toronto in the paint, outscoring them 58 to 34 on the evening.
-For the Raptors it was truly a mixed bag. Jerryd Bayless started hot and did a great job getting the ball to the right people on the break. But in the second half, and especially late in the game, he forced the issue too much resulting in needless turnovers when the Raptors could least afford them. And players like DeMar DeRozan, Sonny Weems, Linas Kleiza and Leandro Barbosa had their moments, but together shot a horrid 18 of 47 in the game, not nearly a good enough percentage to get the win.
-Amir Johnson finished with his fourth double double of the season (12 points and 12 rebounds) and was the one Raptor who played a complete game on the night...as opposed to his front-court partner Andrea Bargnani, who had a night he'd probably rather forget. (Or has already forgotten.)
-The Raptors now face the tough task of returning home tonight, then facing Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls in less than 24 hours' time. No doubt they've got to put this one behind them, but as a fan it's frustrating to see the team make the same errors over and over as the season goes on, and at some point they need to learn from these losses. They're a young team no doubt, but seeing selfish shots and consistent defensive breakdowns (Charlotte shot 50% from the field tonight) is something that needs to change soon if the club wants to take that next step.