Whatever happened to D.J. Augustin? It feels as if he has vanished this season, even more than the Bobcats' other incumbent point guard, Raymond Felton. That Augustin got some attention Friday for totaling seven points, one assist and one rebound shows how far he has fallen from the middle of last season, when a 28-point game wasn't an oddity. Mostly this is Augustin's failing -- he has gone 10 games without scoring in double figures and has never exceeded five assists this season. But it's also the competition; Flip Murray is playing as much point guard as Augustin, and Stephen Jackson is as much of a playmaker at shooting guard as any point guard.
Augustin has effectively been marginalized, and what's strangest about that is that while he's a tough guy, both mentally and physically, he isn't fighting back. It looks as if his confidence has been shattered to such a degree that had Acie Law been in Bobcats' training camp, he might be playing ahead of Augustin already.
BOBCATS 92, WIZARDS 76: They're playing exceptional defense most nights, and this was a prime example. The Bobcats limited the Wizards -- a team that lives off scoring -- to 38 percent shooting from the field, and that was good for their fourth straight victory.
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