Associated Press
TORONTO ó Two days after a scary fall, Gerald Wallace was back playing his typical all-out game. The Charlotte Bobcats never expected anything different.
Wallace and Boris Diaw scored 30 points each to lead the Bobcats to a 102-89 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.
“Gerald has no regard for his body,” Charlotte center Emeka Okafor said. “He just doesn’t care. He sacrifices for the team and he’s clearly our energy guy. He’s out there flying and diving and doing whatever it takes to win.”
Raymond Felton had 14 points and Wallace also had nine rebounds and eight assist to help Charlotte, which came in 11/2 games out of the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot, win its third straight.
“Gerald and Boris had a great game,” Felton said. “They really took over offensively.”
It was an impressive performance by Wallace, who slipped and bruised his left knee while driving to the basket in the second quarter of Wednesday’s home victory over Sacramento. Wallace limped through the second half of that game, then had an MRI Thursday to make sure the knee was structurally sound.
“He’s been a warrior,” Bobcats coach Larry Brown said. “We don’t beat Sacramento if he doesn’t play. When he went down, none of us thought he was going to play. Then he warmed up at halftime and wanted to play.”
Wearing a wrap on his tender knee, Wallace played 42 minutes and topped 25 points for the fourth consecutive game.
“I play off adrenaline,” Wallace said. “Nine times out of 10, my body is always sore. I just like to get in the game and keep playing. I tell coach, ‘Just let me go.’ I don’t like to sit down too long because I get stiff and everything. When I’m going I’m all right.”
Felton said the Bobcats are getting used to seeing Wallace laid out on the court after taking a knock.
“He’s one of those guys, he takes some of the hardest falls ever and he gets right back up,” Felton said. “When he does that, I know he’s going to get back up so I don’t even worry about it.”
So, will Wallace ever play a game where he doesn’t wind up taking a few wild spills?
“Never,” Felton said emphatically. “He’s going to fall hard at least five times in every game, and that’s an understatement.”