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. John Lynch Buccaneers Jersey . But history aside, theyre still happy to participate in the Par 3 contest, traditionally held on the day prior to the first round of the Masters. 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LOUIS -- St. Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey has been suspended without pay for the first four games of the season for violating the NFL policy on performance enhancing substances. Bailey tweeted that he had never taken PED. "I acknowledge that a violation of league policy occurred and that I am responsible for that violation," he added on Twitter. "I sincerely apologize" to the team. Responding to negative tweets, Bailey said, "Everyone makes mistakes." Bailey was a third-round draft pick last year out of West Virginia, and made two starts. He had 17 receptions with a 13.3-yard average and also ran for a 27-yard touchdown. Bailey will be eligible to return to the roster on Monday, Oct.6, before the Rams next game against San Francisco. He is eligible to participate in all off-season and preseason practices and games. The Rams willl introduce their 11 draft picks on Tuesday, with seventh-rounder Michael Sam sure to attract the most attention as the first openly gay player to be drafted by a pro team.dddddddddddd They agreed to terms with 15 undrafted rookie free agents on Monday: Tight end Alex Bayer of Bowling Green, cornerbacks Jarrid Bryant of South Dakota and Marcus Roberson of Florida, safety Avery Cunningham of Central Michigan, wide receivers Austin Franklin of New Mexico and Jamaine Sherman of East Texas Baptist, defensive tackles Deantre Harlan of Bacone and Ethan Westbrooks of West Texas A&M, linebackers Aaron Hill of Minnesota, Tavarius Wilson of North Alabama and Johnny Millard of Cal Poly State, fullback Kadeem Jones of Western Kentucky, offensive tackles Emmanuel McCray of Mississippi and Abasi Salimu of Nicholls State, and running back Julius "Trey" Watts of Tulsa. ' ' '