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If it wasn't obvious before, it's undeniable now: The unofficial borderline between a Charlotte Bobcats victory and defeat is 90 points.
They crossed that border, but just barely Monday, in a 93-84 win against the Philadelphia 76ers. The NBA's lowest-scoring team is 4-1 when it reaches 90 and 0-8 when it doesn't.
Guards D.J. Augustin and Raymond Felton dragged the Bobcats to that magic number, combining for 48 points and 16 assists. For the third straight season, Felton has been shifted from the point to shooting-guard position, and he's doing whatever it takes to make this work.
“I want to be on the court, so whatever they need me to do, I'm going to do it,” said Felton (23 points, five assists and seven rebounds). “I'm a point guard, but when I'm at (shooting guard) I can still use point-guard skills.
“I'm strong enough that I can guard a two (guard). Nobody's going to push me around.”
Felton could have been a pill about this when coach Larry Brown moved rookie point guard Augustin into the starting lineup. But Felton couldn't be a better mentor, coaching Augustin through the subtleties of NBA playmaking.
That's led to a semi-spectacular growth spurt in Augustin's development. He finished Monday with 25 points, 11 assists and five rebounds.
“Whenever I'm confused about something, I go straight to him,” Augustin said. “He's been a great help.”
The most obvious plus in this backcourt – Augustin and Felton have started together the past three games – is the energy it injects. The potential downside – neither starting guard is taller than 6-foot-1 – hasn't been such a problem yet.
“He's not going to let anybody back him down,” Augustin said of Felton. “And I'm not going to let anybody back me down.
“Size doesn't matter.”
It didn't matter Monday, at least, with the 7-7 Sixers shooting 40 percent to the Bobcats' season-high 55 percent. Even without much post scoring (big men Emeka Okafor, Alexis Ajinca, Nazr Mohammed and Ryan Hollins combined for 13 points), the Bobcats had their smoothest offensive game in weeks.
They shared the ball (21 of their 34 baskets were assisted) and a team that's addicted to the 3-point line finally justified that, by making eight of 14 from the arc.
“This was the first game in a long time, I think, when we really made shots,” Brown said. “We've had some open looks before. We just didn't knock them down.”
