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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Charlotte Bobcats finally have a happy locker room, the result of winning games and contending for a berth in the NBA playoffs. The Bobcats took a step closer to a post-season spot Friday, holding off a fourth-quarter rally to beat the Orlando Magic 91-80 for their third straight win. "It shows how hard theyve really worked, and how theyve fought to get back to this point," Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said. "Now wed like to get over .500, which would be a nice thing for our team." Al Jefferson had 29 points and 16 rebounds, and Kemba Walker added 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Bobcats, who at 38-38 are back at .500 for the first time since Nov. 23, when they were 7-7. Now Charlotte has a shot at its first winning record since Nov. 15, when the Bobcats were 5-4 despite not having Jefferson in the lineup because of an ankle injury. "Were heading in the right direction," Jefferson said. "Were a team thats playing well right now. Weve just got to continue to get better, and get ready for the playoffs. "Were right there, but weve got to take it one game at a time." Victor Oladipo scored 21 points and three others finished in double figures for the Magic, who despite having the leagues third-worst record (21-55) had beaten Charlotte twice in three previous meetings. But on Friday, Orlando faced the Bobcats without 7-foot centre Nikola Vucevic, who was a game-time scratch after he complained of soreness in his left Achilles tendon. "I went through my pregame routine, and it started to become more and more sore," Vucevic said. "I talked to the trainer, and we decided it was best for me not to go." Without Vucevic -- who had 24 points and 20 rebounds in the Magics 110-105 overtime victory over Charlotte on March 28 -- in the lineup, Jefferson broke loose for 21 points and 11 rebounds in the first half. Still, it took a big run in the second quarter for the Bobcats to take command, leading by as many as 19 points before taking a 53-36 halftime lead. Charlotte extended that lead to 21 points midway through the third quarter, going up 68-47 on Jeffersons jumper with 5:08 remaining, before Orlando began making a comeback. Despite shooting just 35.6 per cent from the field, the Magic cut the Bobcats lead to 72-60 by the end of the third quarter, and pulled within 76-69 on Oladipos 3-pointer with 8:58 remaining in the fourth. But Gary Neal (12 points) had a three-point play 26 seconds later to push Charlottes lead back into double figures. "It was really the effort up and down the floor," Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said. "Just being in the right place and being committed to it. Its just that simple. Overall, the energy in the second half was how we have to be." Orlando had that energy in the first half, twice taking brief leads in the opening minutes of the second quarter. The Magic went up 21-20 on ETwaun Moores jumper with 11:43 left, and were ahead 25-24 after Oladipos layup with 9:02 remaining. But Anthony Tolliver (13 points) hit his second 3-pointer of the quarter with 8:44 left to put the Bobcats ahead to stay and kick off a 27-6 run. Jeffersons dunk with 3:36 left gave Charlotte its first double-digit lead, at 41-30, and Walker hit a pair of free throws with 1:50 left to put the Bobcats ahead 51-30, their biggest lead of the half. The seventh-place Bobcats begin a three-game road trip Saturday at Cleveland, with stops in Washington on April 9 and Boston on April 11, as the near their first playoff appearance since 2010. "Its been a long time coming," Walker said. "Its very satisfying. Weve been through a lot of ups and downs this season, but weve stuck with things as a team. Its exciting, especially to get to this point." Notes: Bobcats F Josh McRoberts sat out his second straight game recuperating from a sprained left ankle. Clifford said that McRoberts would take the next two days off, and may resume practice Monday. ... Charlotte got a scare late in the first quarter when Michael Kidd-Gilchrist went down hard after having his layup blocked. Kidd-Gilchrist, who missed seven games with ankle problems earlier this season, was listed as "questionable" by team officials for the rest of the game with a bruised back, but he returned to play the second half. ... The Bobcats have created a website -- www.bigalspaint.com -- to promote Jefferson as an All-NBA candidate. The website went public Thursday, and features quotes from opposing players and coaches, stats and stories by local and national media. Nike Zoom Offerta . So much so that even a simple foul pop up to the first baseman turned into a run. Houstons four-run rally in the ninth inning to beat the Seattle Mariners 6-4 on Monday night was capped by a bizarre play that started as Crowe fouled out to first baseman Justin Smoak with runners on second and third. Nike Zoom Italia . Malone will become an unrestricted free-agent and as per the collective bargaining agreement, the Lightning will be responsible for two-thirds of the remainder of his contract over twice the length of the rest of the deal. http://www.nikezoomscontate.it/ . His actions are much louder on the Fenway Park mound. De La Rosa had another strong home start, going seven solid innings to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 2-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night. Nike Zoom Scontate Italia . In the opener of the World Group first-round series, world No. 18 Kei Nishikori defeated Peter Polansky of Thornhill, Ont. Nike Zoom Saldi .2 million in 2012, according to tax returns the league has submitted.TURIN, Italy -- Carlos Tevez broke his Champions League duck as he scored twice to lead Juventus to a hard-fought 2-0 victory at home to Malmo in their opening Group A fixture on Tuesday. Juventus struggled at times before Tevez broke the deadlock in the 59th, following good interplay with Kwadwo Asamoah. It was the Argentina forwards first goal in Europes elite club competition in more than five years. Tevez then sealed the result in stoppage time with a well-placed free kick that sailed into the top corner. "I didnt miss scoring in the Champions League, that wasnt a problem for me," Tevez said. "I play for a team and with this team I always play as if it was my last match. "Im playing deeper now. And today when I rushed in to finish things off I managed to score twice. We need to continue like this. We know we need to win every match. The newspapers say its an easy group but, especially after last years experience, we know its not like that at all." The Bianconeri dominated possession against the Swedish side, but failed to create many clear cut opportunities, and it was Malmo which almost took the lead in the first half. In the other group match, Olympiakos surprisingly beat last years runner-up Atletico Madrid, 3-2. "Nothing is easy," new Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said. "We knew we were facing a team which defended well and was also very physical. We needed to be good technically. In the first half we were disorganized, while in the second we dealt with the ball better. "It was important to get off to a good start. It will be a difficult group because Olympiakos beat Atletico tonight, and we will need a lot of points to progress." Juventus was without key playmaker Andrea Pirlo, who was injured along with Arturo Vidal and Andrea Barzagli, while Roberto Pereyra was suspended. The Italian side was eager to get off to a good start following last seassons disappointing group stage exit, while it was Malmos first appearance in the Champions League proper.dddddddddddd Juventus struggled during the first half and it was Malmo which had the best chance in the 19th minute when Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon did well to parry Magnus Erikssons shot at point-blank range. Tevez had not scored in Europe since netting for Manchester United more than five years ago and the Argentinian had several opportunities to break his duck. After hitting an effort straight at the goalkeeper earlier in the first half, Tevez had another good chance on the half-hour mark, following Stephan Lichtsteiners pull back from the byline, but he fired into the sidenetting under pressure. Juventus should have scored as the first half drew to a close when Lichtsteiner burst into the box onto a Tevez through ball, but he overhit his pass as he attempted to pick out Asamoah at the back post. The home side was awarded a dangerous free kick on the stroke of halftime but Leonardo Bonucci hit it into the wall and then fired the rebound straight into the goalkeepers arms. Juventus finally found a way through in the 59th when Tevez played a one-two with Asamoah, who then backheeled it back into his path, for the Argentine to rifle into the bottom left corner. Fernando Llorente thought he had doubled Juves lead immediately afterward, but his effort was ruled out for a tight offside decision against Lichtsteiner. Lichtsteiner was dangerous all night and the Switzerland defender almost got on the scoresheet in the 70th but his header from Patrice Evras cross crashed down before bouncing over the bar. Llorente also had a good opportunity to wrap up the points but Malmo goalkeeper Robin Olsen pulled off a good double save to deny the Spaniard twice. Tevez sealed the result after substitute Alvaro Morata won a free kick for Juventus on the edge of the area shortly before the final whistle. Wholesale Hoodies NFL Shirts Outlet Jerseys NFL Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '