Charlotte 96 - Indiana 87


CHARLOTTE, N.C., Nov. 9 (AP) -- Emeka Okafor had 25 points and 23 rebounds, Gerald Wallace scored 26 points and the Charlotte Bobcats rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Indiana Pacers 96-87 Friday night.

Okafor's second career 20-20 game helped the Bobcats erase memories of losing their previous two games by 31 and 32 points, while Okafor had his best game since he turned down a contract offer from the Bobcats before the start of the season.

Raymond Felton added 16 points in his return after missing a game with a sore left knee and the Bobcats overcame 14 missed free throws with a dominant fourth quarter.

Jermaine O'Neal had 18 points, Troy Murphy scored 16 points each and Danny Granger added 15 for the Pacers, who were outscored 24-4 in the first 8 minutes of the final period and lost their second straight game.

Okafor, who had 22 points and a career-high 25 rebounds in a triple-overtime win over the Los Angeles Lakers last season, seemed to grab every loose ball and consistently hit shots over O'Neal, who was held to seven rebounds and plagued by foul trouble.

Indiana led 73-65 entering the fourth, only to go scoreless for nearly 5 minutes. Okafor, who will become a restricted free agent at the end of the season, had a three-point play and Wallace had a thunderous dunk and a 3-pointer in a 10-0 run to give Charlotte a 78-73 lead.

Jamaal Tinsley ended the drought of six straight missed shots and three turnovers with a runner in the lane with 7:08 left.

But Okafor responded with a putback dunk, then grabbed his 20th rebound on the offensive glass on the next possession, leading to Matt Carroll's 3-pointer to make it 83-75 with 6:02 left.

Okafor's bucket with just four 4 minutes left gave Charlotte a 12-point lead, and he put it away 2 minutes later with a high bank shot over O'Neal.

For one night at least, Okafor looked like a player worthy of a monster deal. Okafor made 10 of 14 shots, but only 5 of 13 free throws just over a week after he turned down a contract for less than the maximum amount the Bobcats could have offered their former first-round pick.

The Pacers, coming off a home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, were in control early, leading by 10 in the first quarter and eight in the third, when O'Neal went out with his fourth foul.

Indiana, outrebounded 52-39, couldn't take advantage of the Bobcats' 27-of-44 free-throw shooting. The Bobcats missed 21 free throws in a win over Milwaukee last week.

Notes: Pacers G Marquis Daniels sat out with a sore left knee, although coach Jim O'Brien said Daniels should play Saturday against Denver. ... Bobcats F Othella Harrington (knee) likely won't play for another week. ... Posted on the wall in Bobcats coach Sam Vincent's office Friday was a new rule calling for the best shooter to take technical free throws. On Wednesday in Philadelphia, Wallace took and missed a technical free throw ahead of Carroll, a career 86 percent shooter.

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