CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Gerald Henderson had a career-high 35 points, and the Charlotte Bobcats snapped a 10-game losing streak with a 100-74 win over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night.
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Henderson was 11 of 19 from the field and knocked down all 12 of his foul shots.
Ben Gordon scored 17 points and new starting forward Josh McRoberts had his first double-double for Charlotte with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
The Bobcats (14-50) doubled last season’s win total and posted their largest margin of victory this season.
The Celtics, playing without Paul Pierce, looked like a team that has played nine of its last 11 games on the road. Jeff Green and Jordan Crawford each had 14 points for Boston.
Kevin Garnett needed nine points to pass Jerry West and move into 15th place on the NBA’s career scoring list, but was held to five points on 2-of-10 shooting.
The Celtics looked out of sync early on without Pierce, who received a night of rest from coach Doc Rivers. It looked as if most of the other Celtics had taken the night off, too.
Henderson went to work in the first half, scoring 21 points to help Charlotte to a 49-46 lead at the break.
Henderson stayed with his biggest strength playing against Courtney Lee and Jason Terry, driving to the hole and drawing contact. He was 8 of 13 from the field in the first half and made all five of his free-throw attempts.
He continued his solid play in the third. He knocked down a 3-pointer from the wing and then came up with a huge effort play to give the Bobcats a double-digit lead. He drove the lane and got blocked, but corralled the rebound after put in back in while drawing a foul.
The Bobcats poured it on in the fourth quarter, opening a 24-point lead with six minutes left when Gordon threw an alley-oop pass to McRoberts, who slammed it home with his left hand.
The Celtics probably should have been expecting more of a game from the Bobcats after losing in Charlotte earlier in the season.
But Rivers decided to sit the 35-year-old Pierce with Boston in the midst of a difficult part of the schedule. He pondered sitting Pierce, Garnett or Terry while on the flight to Charlotte from Oklahoma City.
He chose Pierce.
“I don’t get a lot of kickback right now when I say I’m sitting one of them,” Rivers said with a laugh before the game.
NOTES: The Celtics and Bobcats play again Saturday night in Boston. … Bobcats center Byron Mullens, who has been benched for McRoberts, played only 11 minutes before leaving with a strained back.
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