Sport: NBAPick Selection: Charlotte Bobcats
At 8:35 pm, our complimentary selection is on the Charlotte Bobcats plus the points over San Antonio. The Spurs survived their annual Rodeo Road Trip, and actually fared better this year (6-3) than last season (4-4). And their 6-3 record was noteworthy as it largely came without the services of Tony Parker, who played in just one of the nine games (a loss at Utah). Parker returned to practice on Monday, but won't suit up for tonight's home game vs. Charlotte. In his stead will be Jacque Vaughn and newly-acquired Damon Stoudamire. The Bobcats will counter with veteran Jeff McInnis at the point, and Raymond Felton at off-guard. Up front, Charlotte has ex-Spur Nazr Mohammed (10.3 ppg and 7.6 rpg since coming over from Detroit), Emeka Okafor and Jason Richardson. And Charlotte might also get Gerald Wallace back in the line-up tonight. He's missed five of the Bobcats' last six games due to a sprained foot, and his return would surely boost Charlotte's chances. San Antonio tended to play up, or play down to the level of competition on its 9-game road trek. The Spurs were competitive in losses at Utah and Boston, and played well in winning at Phoenix, Washington, Indiana, Cleveland and Toronto. But the Spurs were dreadful at Seattle (a loss) and New York (a lucky win), and those were their two worst opponents. Without Parker, and also swingman Brent Barry, look for the Champs to be a bit rusty after the five-day layoff, and struggle a bit on offense tonight. Take the points. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
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