Last Chaos Tips » but opened the second half with a 17-3 tear

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Al Jefferson is happy he didnt make the All-Star game. Kemba Walker said it might be a huge blessing for the Charlotte Bobcats that the big man got a few days off to rest his 29-year-old legs for the stretch run, particularly with four games in five nights coming out of the break. "Im glad he didnt make it either," Walker said with a laugh. "Hes fresh now. And you dont have to make the All-Star game to be an All-Star. I know hes a great player and unguardable in the post." Jefferson dominated the Pistons for the third time this season Wednesday night, and Walker played his best game since returning from an ankle injury to lead the Bobcats to back-to-back wins over Detroit, 116-98. Jefferson scored 29 points, while Walker had 24 points and a career-high 16 assists. The win gives the Bobcats (25-30) a sweep of the season three-game series and a 2 1/2-game lead over the Pistons in the race for the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. "We had a bad reputation around this league for a long time, at least since Ive been here," Walker said. "Coach (Steve Clifford) has done a great job of changing the culture. We just want to win. We dont want to be those Bobcats where guys come in here and beat us up every night." The 6-foot-10, 289-pound Jefferson, who had 32 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in Tuesdays 108-96 win at Detroit, went 12 of 20 from the field and grabbed eight rebounds. He has scored at least 20 points in 16 of the last 18 games and barely missed his seventh 30-point game in the last 10 games. Jefferson said the Bobcats (25-30) are playing their best basketball of the season as they gear up for the stretch run and a shot at the franchises second career playoff appearance. "We have been a top 10 on defence all year," Jefferson said. "But now our offence is picking up and were learning how to play with each other." Frustration seems to be setting in for the Pistons, who have lost nine of 14. Brandon Jennings had 20 points for Detroit before being ejected from the game with 1:13 left after picking up his second technical foul for arguing a call. Jennings did not speak to the media after the game. "We definitely have to do a better job as a team of keeping our composure, especially in tough games like this," teammate Greg Monroe said. "Down the stretch these games mean a lot. You know, keeping a level head and playing hard, as a team is something were going to have to do." Coach John Loyer said its not too late to regroup. "Its two games," Loyer said. "Granted its two that we wanted to get, two we needed to get, but we didnt get them. You move on. You figure out your next plan and you just try to go win the next game." Josh McRoberts chipped in with 15 points for the Bobcats and Ramon Sessions had 10 points and 10 assists off the bench. But its Jefferson who is setting the tone. "We are just getting acclimated to Al," Walker said. "It took a little while but we know how to play with him and play off him. He makes all the right plays. All we have to do is get him the basketball in the right spots all we have to do is make shots." The Bobcats led by six at halftime, but opened the second half with a 17-3 tear to take a 70-50 lead behind 3-pointers from Walker, McRoberts and Gerald Henderson. The Pistons got within nine in the fourth quarter, but McRoberts buried a pair of 3-pointers and Walker hit a jumper to put the Bobcats safely ahead. Loyer stressed before the game the importance of starting fast, but Monroe and Josh Smith combined to miss their first 14 shots. Meanwhile the Bobcats got off to a fast start for the second straight night, hitting 7 of 9 shots to start the game and build a double-digit first quarter lead. Cody Zeller brought immediate energy and production off the bench for the Bobcats with a career-high three blocked shots. NOTES: Former South Carolina Gamecocks defensive end and top NFL draft prospect Jadeveon Clowney attended the game. ... Charlotte had lost five straight games at home to Detroit prior to Wednesday night. ... The more aggressive Bobcats dominated on the boards, outrebounding the Pistons 49-31. Mikko Koivu Jersey . Heavily-criticized after allowing a dozen goals on 58 shots in two games in Boston, Luongo continued his dominance at home. Hes now allowed two goals in three home games in this series. Devan Dubnyk Jersey . Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports that the Raptors have traded forward Steve Novak along with a second-round pick to the Utah Jazz in exchange for guard Diante Garrett - who will then be waived. http://www.authenticwildpro.com/Ryan-suter-wild-jersey/. On Thursday theyll learn even more. Despite the cloud of uncertainty that has followed them around from the moment general manager Masai Ujiri was brought in to put his stamp on the franchise, the Raptors have surpassed all pre-season expectations. Joel Eriksson Ek Jersey . The Padres made the moves before Fridays game at Washington. They promoted infielder Jace Peterson from Double-A San Antonio and right-hander Kevin Quackenbush from Triple-A El Paso. Matt Dumba Jersey .com) - Sixth-seeded Feliciano Lopez was a first-round winner on Monday at the Delray Beach Open tennis event.BERN, Switzerland - New Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic named three international newcomers in his first squad to begin European Championship qualifying against England. Petkovic, who succeeded Ottmar Hitzfeld after the World Cup, selected a 23-player squad Friday including Augsburg goalkeeper Marwin Hitz, Benfica defender Loris Benito and Udinese defender Silvan Widmer. Aston Villa defender Philippe Senderos is the only Premier League player selected for the Sept. 8 match in Basel. Yann Sommer of Borussia Moenchengladbach becomes first-choice goalkeeper after the international retirement of Diego Benaglio, whose last match was a 1-0 extra-time loss against Argentina in the World Cup second round. Midfielders Pajtim Kasami of Olympiakos and Basels Fabian Frei return after missing out on World Cup selection. The Euro 2016 quallifying group also includes Estonia, Lithuania, San Marino and Slovenia.dddddddddddd ___ Squad: Goalkeepers: Yann Sommer (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Roman Buerki (Freiburg), Marwin Hitz (Augsburg). Defenders: Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus), Loris Benito (Benfica), Steve von Bergen (Young Boys), Fabian Schaer (Basel), Philippe Senderos (Aston Villa), Johan Djourou (Hamburger SV), Ricardo Rodriguez (Wolfsburg), Silvan Widmer (Udinese). Midfielders: Valon Behrami (Hamburger SV), Blerim Dzemaili (Napoli), Gokhan Inler (Napoli), Valentin Stocker (Hertha Berlin), Gelson Fernandes (Rennes), Granit Xhaka (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Pajtim Kasami (Olympiakos), Fabian Frei (Basel), Xherdan Shaqiri (Bayern Munich). Forwards: Haris Seferovic (Eintracht Frankfurt), Josip Drmic (Bayer Leverkusen), Admir Mehmedi (Freiburg). 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