Taylor fills in with 20, Bobcats beat 76ers 105-88

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - December 6, 2013

Subbing for injured starter Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at small forward, Taylor scored nine of Charlotte's first 22 points. Gerald Henderson and Kemba Walker added 18 apiece, and Walker also dished out a season-high 10 assists.

Al Jefferson had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Bobcats. Ramon Sessions added 13 points and rookie Cody Zeller chipped in with 10.

Philadelphia was led by Tony Wroten's 21 points. Evan Turner added 16, Hollis Thompson scored 12 and Spencer Hawes had 10 points and 13 rebounds.

The Sixers played without starting point guard Michael Carter-Williams, who came in averaging 17.7 points. The rookie sat out because of a sore right knee.

In addition to playing without Kidd-Gilchrist, out four to six weeks after breaking his left hand during a loss at Dallas last Tuesday, the Bobcats lost backup center Bismack Biyombo to a right ankle sprain in the first half.

In a matchup of defensive-minded teams, the opening quarter was an up-and-down affair that ended with the Bobcats leading 36-33 after shooting 56 percent from the field (14 of 25). They never trailed again, eventually leading by as many as 18 points in the fourth quarter while shooting 46 percent for the game.

The Bobcats have held opponents under 100 points for 13 consecutive games, most in the NBA.

The Sixers cooled off after hitting seven of their first 12 shots, but Charlotte shot 54 percent (25 of 46) in the first half. The Bobcats took a 62-51 halftime lead on center Al Jefferson's tip-in of a missed layup by Walker at the second-quarter buzzer.

Jefferson then scored the first two baskets of the third to give the Bobcats the first of what would be multiple 15-point leads in the quarter. The lead swelled to as much as 18 in the fourth as the Bobcats continued running and scoring almost at will in transition, evidenced by the 22-10 edge they held in fast-break points for the game.

The 105 points represented a season high for the Bobcats, only the second time they surpassed the 100-point mark. The only other time came in a 102-97 win at New York on Nov. 5.

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