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The New Jersey Nets will miss the playoffs for the first time since before the Charlotte Bobcats’ inception. That, however, can’t be blamed on their play at home.
Without a postseason series to look forward to for the first time in seven years, the Nets look to continue their strong play at the IZOD Center when they face the lowly Bobcats on Tuesday night.
Oddsmakers from Sportsbook.com have made New Jersey -3 point spread favorites (NBA Odds) for today’s game, the over/under has been set at 209 total points (Matchup). Our public betting information shows that 77% of bets for this game have been placed on New Jersey -3 (View NBA Bet Percentages). Bet this game.
New Jersey (33-47) was eliminated from playoff contention with a loss at Toronto on Friday. They bounced back to beat Milwaukee 111-98 the next night, earning just their fourth road win in the last 26 games.
New Jersey is 13-27 on the road this season.
The Nets played well at home while their playoff hopes were still alive, winning 11 of its last 17 at the Meadowlands. They negated that advantage by going 3-13 on the road over the same stretch, leading to them missing the playoffs for the first time since a 26-56 finish in 2000-01.
Charlotte (31-49) was four years away from its first season then, and it has yet to make the playoffs in its four seasons in the league. Neither the Nets nor the Bobcats, though, have shown signs of giving up in their last two games.
Richard Jefferson scored 24 points and Vince Carter added 21 versus the Bucks as Nets put together a game marked by unselfish play. New Jersey finished with 34 assists and just 14 turnovers, with Carter recording 10 assists, Devin Harris nine and Jefferson seven.
The Nets had a total of 35 assists in their previous two games – both losses.
"You don’t ever see that in the NBA," Jefferson said of a team’s top scorers passing so frequently. "Whenever you get that, you are going to get a good rhythm offensively."
New Jersey is averaging 27.7 assists and 12.3 turnovers in three games versus Charlotte this season, winning two of them. All three contests, however, came before the Nets traded Jason Kidd to Dallas.
The Nets will also be facing a Bobcats team that has been playing much better down the stretch, winning five of its last six on the road and seven of 12 overall.
"We’re in an 82-game NBA schedule and we want to play all 82 games the best we can," Charlotte coach Sam Vincent said. "These last two … games you want to come out and fight all the way to the end."
The Bobcats dealt Indiana’s playoff hopes a severe blow Saturday night, winning 107-103 despite playing without second-leading scorer Gerald Wallace.
Wallace, averaging 19.4 points on the season, has missed four straight games with a left groin strain and is leaning toward sitting out the final two games.
Jason Richardson, Charlotte’s top scorer, finished with 26 points against the Pacers. Richardson is averaging 29.0 points in his last three games, and 25.0 in three meetings with the Nets this season.
The Bobcats and Nets play their season finales Wednesday night, with Charlotte hosting Philadelphia and New Jersey visiting league-leading Boston.
By: Marc Young – theSpread.com – Email Us
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