Okafor's leads Bobcats past Thunder 103-97

CHARLOTTE, N.C.(AP) Sean May was tired -
again. Only this time, May had finally been effective for the Bobcats
after months of slogging up the court in poor shape following knee
surgery.So with May breathing heavy as he was taken out midway
through the third quarter of Charlotte's 103-97 win over the Oklahoma
City Thunder on Wednesday night, part-owner Michael Jordan was quick to
strike from his courtside seat next to the bench.Mike said, 'Do you need an oxygen mask?''' May said. "I said, 'No, just give me a couple minutes and I'll be fine.'''For
the first time this season, May was right. With 10 points and 11
rebounds, May recorded his first double-double in nearly two years.
With Emeka Okafor adding 25 points and 13 rebounds, the Bobcats had
rare production inside, fueling their fourth win in six games under new
coach Larry Brown."This was Sean's best game by far,'' said
Brown, who had banished the former first-round pick to the inactive
list earlier this season. "He needed something like that.''Gerald
Wallace added 21 points and Jason Richardson scored 18 to surpass
10,000 points in his career for the Bobcats, who won consecutive games
under Brown for the first time and sent the Thunder back to their
losing ways.The Thunder were playing their first game since
snapping a franchise record-tying 14-game losing streak Saturday at
Memphis. Kevin Durant scored 24 points and Jeff Green added 18, but
while Oklahoma City shot 54 percent, it couldn't overcome 19 turnovers
and its lack of depth inside in dropping to 2-17."Tonight was
better than most losses because we did some things well,'' Durant said.
"But two or three possessions at the end of the game kind of hurt us.''The
game matched the two lowest-scoring teams in the league, but the
Bobcats haven't looked like the struggling bunch in Brown's first month
in charge of his record ninth NBA team.In scoring more than 100
points for the third time in four games, the Bobcats showed more depth
and got a big boost from an unlikely source.May had played in
only 58 games in his first three seasons in the NBA and sat out all of
last year after undergoing microfracture knee surgery.Brown got
frustrated at May's fitness following his rehab and moved him from a
starter in the opener to inactive in the next five games. He returned
and played sparingly, then didn't get off the bench for two games while
Brown made him do extra conditioning work before and after games.While
he's still tired after long stretches, May shot 4-of-7 and was
particularly effective on the boards in the first half, grabbing eight
rebounds. He played a season-high 27 minutes."I've been waiting
for something like this,'' May said. "Coming out of the second half,
(Jordan) just said, 'You're close to a double-double, give me one
tonight.'''Playing their league-high 13th home game out of 18 games overall, the Bobcats finally pulled away late in the fourth quarter.Green's
jumper with 3:36 left cut Charlotte's lead to 94-90. But Okafor's dunk
off a feed from Raymond Felton on the next possession gave Charlotte
breathing room.Russell Westbrook missed a driving layup before Okafor made a free throw with 17 seconds left to ice it.Okafor
has 49 points and 23 rebounds in the past two games as he gets more
involved in the offense, helping Richardson get more looks from the
outside.Richardson surpassed 10,000 points on jumper from the
right wing with 3:32 left in the third quarter. It was part of an 8-2
run that gave Charlotte a 73-64 lead.With interim coach Scott
Brooks starting Westbrook and Chris Wilcox for a second straight game
ahead of Earl Watson and Nick Collison, Oklahoma City stayed within
striking distance, but had trouble defending May and Charlotte's other
big men."We gave up too many offensive rebounds,'' Brooks said.
"We didn't do a good job of taking care of the ball. We've got to get
better with that.''Notes: Thunder C Robert Swift (back) missed
his sixth straight game. ... Bobcats F Nazr Mohammed was deactivated
for the first time this season. ... Brooks and Brown both have ties to
Sam Mitchell, who was fired as Toronto's coach Wednesday.
"Disappointing,'' said Brown, who coached Mitchell in Indiana. "He will
bounce back,'' said Brooks, who played with Mitchell in Minnesota. ...
It was clear before the game that Thunder G Kyle Weaver wasn't in
Charlotte long. Weaver, who was traded less than two months after being
the Bobcats' second-round pick, was seen asking an attendant where the
locker room was.