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. Adolphus Washington Jersey . 1. Lions WR Calvin Johnson (6 REC, 101 YDS, 1 TD, 10 targets) leads receivers with 1,299 yards and 12 touchdowns, though his 118.1 receiving yards per game ranks second behind Clevelands Josh Gordon. Gordon (10 REC, 261 YDS, 2 TD, 15 targets) is emerging as a superstar, putting up huge numbers even with Jason Campbell and Brandon Weeden at quarterback. Marcus Murphy Jersey . -- The Denver Broncos are shuffling their offensive line this off-season and Orlando Franklin provided some insight into their plans Monday by tweeting that hes moving from right tackle to left guard. http://www.officialbuffalobillsfootball.com/authentic-marshall-newhouse-jersey-womens .Y. -- Dwane Casey admitted hed been concerned about his young Raptors team who had zero experience playing in close-out games -- what awaited them with the vastly-experienced Brooklyn Nets, and how theyd react. Jeremy Kerley Jersey . Yup, he definitely needed this one. Craig homered twice and had three RBIs Wednesday night to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 7-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Craig went 4 for 5 and Yadier Molina added three hits for the Cardinals, who salvaged the final game of a three-game set in hopes of staying within shouting distance of front-running Milwaukee in the NL Central. Phillip Gaines Jersey . The Canadian Football Leagues all-time passing leader said he has not made a final decision, but he will discuss his future with Montreal Alouettes owner Bob Wetenhall on the weekend.Omaha, NE (Sports Network) - Adam Plutko pitched into the seventh inning and Eric Filia had a two-run single to boost UCLA to a 3-1 win over Mississippi State in the opener of the College World Series finals Monday night. Pat Valaika drove in the other run for the Bruins (48-17), who are trying for their first NCAA baseball title in program history. The Bulldogs (51-19), in the CWS finals for the first time, entered Monday without a single national championship in a team sport. UCLA has a record 108 team titles. Game 2 of the best-of-three series is Tuesday night. UCLA is appearing in its second College World Series Finals in the last four years. The Bruins lost to South Carolina in 2010. Plutko (10-3), a junior right-hander, allowed four hits and a run over six- plus frames. James Kaprielian and Zack Weiss combined to throw 1 1/3 hitless frames. David Berg recorded the final five outs for his 24th save of the year to set a new NCAA record. That eclipses the old mark set by Jack Krawczyk of USC in 1998 and Tyler Roger of Austin Peay in 2013. "At this point it doesnt really matter. Records are meant to be broken, but titles are what matter," Berg said. "So if we all win a national championship, Ill enjoy that. But right now I dont think about it at all." Trevor Fitts (0-1) was lifted after only 1 1/3 innings in the start. Chad Girodo pitched the final 7 2/3 innings and had nine strikeouts for the Bulldogs. Fitts fanned three batters in the first inning, but Kevin Kramer reached safely on a wild pitch after striking out. Following Filias double to left, Kramer scored on Valaikas line single up the middle. The Bulldogs kept it a one-run deficit when first baseman Wes Rea made a diving stop and flipped to Fitts for the final out of the opening frame. Fitts was pulled from the game with one out in the second inning. Mississippi State caught a break later in the frame when Kramer was called out at first on a close play despite replays showing Girodo got to the bag late. UCLA put two runners on base in the third, bbut Shane Zeile grounded out to end the threat.dddddddddddd The Bruins took advantage of an error in the fourth inning to expand their lead to 3-0. Brenton Allen singled to left with one out and Brian Carroll put down a sacrifice bunt. Catcher Nick Ammirati threw low to first base. Rea and Carroll knocked knees together and the ball trickled into foul territory. With men on first and third, Kramer struck out before Carroll stole second. On a 3-2 pitch, Filia hit a soft liner to right field to drive in both runners, but he was caught in a rundown to end the inning. MSUs first hit came on a ground ball up the middle off the bat of Alex Detz with one out in the fourth inning. The Bulldogs loaded the bases with another single and a hit batsman before C.T. Bradford walked with two outs on a 3-2 pitch that was high to force in a run. Trey Porter then lined out to right field. Filia made a running catch in the right field corner on a ball hit by Ammirati to start the bottom of the fifth, but Detz lined out to second to leave a runner in scoring position. The Bulldogs wasted a golden opportunity in the seventh. Porter singled and was removed from the game for a pinch-runner. Kaprielian relieved Plutko, but walked Ammirati. Demarcus Henderson then grounded into a 4-6-3 double play and Adam Frazier grounded to out to cap the inning. Berg came in from the UCLA bullpen to induce a double play in the eighth and got out of a jam after putting two men on base in the ninth. Ammirati flied out and pinch-hitter Jacob Robson grounded out to end the game. "You have to make your luck in this game," MSU coach John Cohen said. "They made the most of their opportunities. Sometimes you get the pitch you want and everything doesnt happen for you. We had sequences and we had opportunities. We still have a great chance to come back and win the series." The Bruins are 9-0 in the postseason, the longest postseason winning streak in school history. The Bruins have outscored their opponents by a 36-14 margin in the postseason. Stitched College JerseysCheap UCLA JerseysNCAA Louisville Cardinals JerseysNorth Carolina Jerseys Stitched Kentucky Wildcats JerseysStitched Alabama Crimson Tide JerseysCheap Basketball Wisconsin Badgers JerseysAuthentic NCAA Jerseys StoreWholesale Basketball NCAA JerseysCheap Duke GearStitched Alabama JerseysStitched Georgia JerseysCheap Clemson Jerseys AuthenticAuthentic Texas JerseysWholesale USC JerseysStitched Oklahoma JerseysStitched Ohio State JerseysCheap Notre Dame GearUCLA Jerseys From ChinaCheap Louisville Jerseys Free ShippingCheap North Carolina Jerseys AuthenticCheap Kentucky Jerseys AuthenticWisconsin Jerseys From ChinaCheap Michigan GearCheap Florida GearWholesale Arizona State JerseysCheap LSU GearCheap Auburn GearCheap California Jerseys Free ShippingCheap Miami Jerseys AuthenticCheap Michigan State GearCheap Tennessee Jerseys AuthenticTexas A&M Jerseys From ChinaAuthentic Wake Forest JerseysWest Virginia Jerseys From China ' ' '