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Felton leads balanced attack as Bobcats top Pistons

Jan 11, 2007 - 5:26 AM AUBURN HILLS, Michigan (Ticker) -- Raymond Felton and the Charlotte Bobcats knew what they were doing in the Motor City.

Felton had 18 points and seven assists and Matt Carroll added 17 points and seven rebounds as the Bobcats posted a 103-96 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

Rookie Adam Morrison and Sean May combined to score 30 points off the bench for Charlotte, which has won consecutive games for the first time against Detroit since the 2004-05 campaign.

The Bobcats emerged with a 97-89 victory in Charlotte on December 3.

With starting point guard Brevin Knight sidelined for four to six weeks after undergoing abdominal surgery, Felton has stepped up his play, averaging 11.1 assists in his last 10 games.

In the fourth quarter, Morrison scored on a floater in the lane, then found Jake Voskuhl for an easy layup with 8 1/2 minutes left, giving the Bobcats an 80-68 bulge. He finished with 16 points.

"We've had some significant leads in the fourth quarter and haven't been able to put the games away," Morrison said. "A game like this could help us in the long run, but for the last five or six games we've played better. This was a good win against a quality team."

The Pistons never were able to recover thereafter.

Charlotte took control in the second quarter, using an aggressive 15-4 burst to close the period and grab a 45-35 advantage at intermission.

"It was big (the second quarter)," Morrison said. "We got it rolling on offense and we played good defense. I think we fooled them a little bit by switching with the zone and man (defense)."

The Bobcats outscored the Pistons, 27-8, in the quarter.

"I don't know if we can take credit for their second quarter," Charlotte coach Bernie Bickerstaff said. "We had a 24-point half in our last game against Orlando and it wasn't because of their defense. It was us. But if you want to give us credit, I guess we'll take it."

Richard Hamilton scored 23 points and Tayshaun Prince chipped in 19 for Detroit, which has lost five of its last seven games.

"We couldn't get long rebounds," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said. "We couldn't get loose balls. It looked like Space Jam at times as far as trying to put it on the rim. We missed layups, we missed tips. We couldn't get up over the hump. We just didn't have the energy."

The loss of star guard Chauncey Billups, who missed his fifth straight game with a strained right calf, continues to hurt the Pistons in late-game situations.

"I don't know what causes it, but we've got to get it together," Detroit guard Flip Murray said. "We've got to get ready to play every game."