Raptors Come Back - 89-79 Raptors

For the first two and half quarters of this one, it looked like the Raptors had lost all their confidence, hustle - and ability to shoot. But Chris Bosh played like a superstar, giving us energy, scoring, rebounding and defense down the stretch to lead a 19-0 run late in the game which gave the Raps an unsurmountable lead. Andrea Bargnani also played well, and Will Solomon gave some nice backup minutes for Jose.

Check out the Raptors recap

Player of the Game:
Chris Bosh was the man today. He took it upon himself to not allow our team to drop to 3-3, and it turns out against a team like the Bobcats (though they knocked off New Orleans the other day) his talent and determination was enough. CB4 had 30 points (on scorching 12-17 FG and 6-7 FT), 15 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. He - like the rest of the team - looked a little rusty early, and he ended up with 5 turnovers and 3 fouls. But you can't take anything away from him - he was dominant.

Notables:
Andrea Bargnani - 18 points (6-10 from the field including 3-5 from three, 3-4 from the line), 5 rebounds, 3 blocks. Another excellent, rounded game from Bargnani. Maybe even more importantly, Il Mago only had one turnover and one foul. Also had some key defensive plays down the stretch and hit some huge shots. Getting production like this every game would be a lifesaver.
Jose Calderon - 13 points (6-10 FG, 1-4 3FG), 7 assists, 0 turnovers. A solid if unspectacular game from Jose. Was backed-up effectively by Will Solomon (2 points, 6 assists, 1 turnover) and as a result "only" played 35 minutes.
Jermaine O'Neal - 5 points (0-5 FG(!), 5-6 FT), 9 rebounds, two assists, one block. For some reason, his scoring is just not there. But there's no doubting that Bosh is loving the move over to power forward, looking at his stats. It's definitely nice to see that JO is active on the boards and on defense despite his scoring. Before the start of the season, we were worried what would happen if JO didn't get his touches, and if his attitude would rub off on the rest of the team. Thus far, he's been a veteran leader and hopefully just wants to win. Only played 20 minutes tonight because the Bobcats were going with a small line-up and because Bargnani was playing so well.
Jamario Moon - 10 points (5-8 FG, 0-2 3FG), 9 rebounds, 3 assists, one block. A return to last year's Super Jamario - hustle, chipping in some points here and there, great rebounding and defense. He needs to be active to be effective, and tonight he was both of those things.

Full box score

Stat of the Game:
The Raptors shot 49.3% (35-71) from the field to Charlotte's 37% (30-81). But tonight, for the first time this season, the Raptors outrebounded their opponents, 44-36. Yeah, it's almost completely because the Bobcats couldn't land a shot in the ocean with a beach ball, but baby steps, people.

Next game: Tomorrow (Monday) at Boston Celtics, 7:30 PM tipoff