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A short recap here, basically going to be the case for all my simmed/intervened games.
Harpring breaks out of slump, scores 28 as Jazz rally past 'Cats
November 1, 2002
Boxscore
Utah 101, Charlotte 96
CHARLOTTE (AP) -- Matt Harpring's just glad that he's broken through.
Harpring filled the stat-sheet with 28 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 blocks as the Utah Jazz (3-0) overcame an early 12-point deficit to expansion team Charlotte Bobcats in their very first game back in Charlotte after the relocation of the Hornets to New Orleans.
Glen Rice gave a blast from the past, scoring a game-high 37 points with four threes, and added 7 rebounds and 7 assists, but after the first quarter where the Bobcats had started fast on the back of a raucous crowd, the Jazz always looked the better team.
"We didn't play at our best today, but we pulled ourselves to victory. Matt settled in well today and we got good support from John and Karl like always." said Jerry Sloan.
"I struggled in my first games for the Jazz, but I'm happy that I played well today, got the money off the back after signing that contract and now I can focus on helping the team win." said Harpring.
John Stockton had 20 points and 6 assists for the Jazz and Karl Malone had 25 points and 13 rebounds, but it was Harpring who got most of the plays in the last quarter. They weren't exactly isolation plays either: a majority of them came from off Sloan's offensive sets, getting Harpring open for mid-range jumpshots coming off screens.
"I found my shot at the right time in the last quarter and I got into a groove." said Harpring.
For the Bobcats, it was a little disappointing. After being blown out in Boston in their first game (a 114-74 loss), they received good support from their home crowd, and a performance from Glen Rice that might've been nostalgic to some Hornets fans watching.
Rice spent perhaps his best three seasons in Charlotte, earning All-Star status in all three. Picked up by the Bobcats in the expansion draft, he returned to Charlotte with a standing ovation, and proceeded to light up the stage in the first quarter. He had 15 of his 37 by the end of the quarter, including an 8-0 run where he brushed up two threes and a massive dunk past Harpring in transition.
"It was fun tonight playing back in Charlotte and scoring 37. But I'm disappointed that we couldn't get the win." Rice said.
As it turned out in the end, the Jazz were just the better team.
Whether you 
@ pic "Bradley v. Osterf.."
