Bobcats fans had a feeling that their team could be a little better with the return of big man Byron Mullens after a 19-game layoff. It took five games, but boy were we all right.

Mullens lead the way by far in Monday night’s impressive win over the Boston Celtics, as the Bobcats snapped a seven game losing skid with a close 94-91 victory. Mullens was just abusing Boston in the paint on his way to 18 rebounds, as well as a solid 25 points off of 10-of-16 shooting. While his shooting touch (4-of-5 from three) was worth talking about on its own, it was the intensity on the boards that got attention, and Mullens was pleased with that.

”I just have to show the league and this organization that I can rebound,” said Mullens after the game.

It’s not like Mullens can’t hit the glass. He averages over eight boards per game, but at seven feet tall, he and just about everyone else is probably shooting for over 10 rebounds per game. It’s clear with this rebounding outburst that he has the potential, and it’s also evident that he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder and is dedicated to improving his rebounding craft.

The Charlotte Bobcats are in the midst of another depressing losing streak – this time a five-game skid that has them marching into a home matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers. L.A. continues to give a go at trying to form a championship team, but without Pau Gasol and an ailing Dwight Howard, they seem to be running on fumes.

That’s the good news. The bad news is the Bobcats have been atrocious for most of the year, and as troubling as the Lakers’ have found themselves for much of the 2012-13 season, they’re still a far better team than Charlotte is.

With that said, Charlotte did give the Lakers a run for their money earlier this year, and at least has Byron Mullens back to help give them some size and versatility again from their bigs.

Let’s break this matchup down further and try to come away with a pick for tonight’s game:

1. The Point – Edge: Bobcats

Steve Nash is the better pure point guard here, but at this stage in his career Kemba Walker is the better scorer and clearly wins the defensive battle. I like Ramon Sessions more than Steve Blake, Darius Miller or Chris Duhon at the backup spot, as well.

The Charlotte Bobcats just got some size back. Big man Byron Mullens returned to the court on Monday night, and right away did his part to make the Bobcats competitive, as he chipped in 12 points and nine rebounds in a narrow loss to the defending champion Miami Heat.

If you’re wondering how valuable Mullens is to Charlotte’s short term and long term prospects, look no further than the fact that he was supposed to have a bout a 15-minute cap in his return from a bad ankle injury, but instead logged 28.

Needless to say, Charlotte is starving for size, talent and production from their bigs, as Mullens is their only post player who has anything that resembles range, while he easily has the most versatile and well-rounded game at the position, as well.

So, just what can we expect from Mullens and the Bobcats with their 23-year old 7-footer back on the hardwood? Better play, hopefully.

We get it, the Spurs are the better team. The much, much better team. They’ve won won nine straight now and their record (37-11) basically is a mirror image of the Charlotte Bobcats’s record (11-34). But that doesn’t excuse a sorry offensive effort that saw just three Charlotte players score in double figures, and a guy off the bench (Ramon Sessions) leading the way with 22 points.

Plain and simple: the Bobcats stunk on Wednesday night. I should probably be used to it by now, but I just don’t understand still how one guy in the starting five can top 10 points. In fact, Kemba Walker only scored 16 points, and no one else in the starting lineup could muster up more than seven.

That’s pathetic.

The Charlotte Bobcats have a chance at doing something we haven’t seen them do much in this 2012-13 NBA season: win consecutive games.

It comes on the road against the Chicago Bulls, but a chance is still a chance, right? Charlotte is an abysmal 5-14 on the road this year, so it won’t be easy. However, helping them out a bit is this is still a Chicago team that goes to work sans star point guard Derrick Rose, and they’re not exactly dominant at home (just 14-11).

The odds are still stacked against Charlotte winning back to back games, but this is definitely a game worth taking a closer look at. Let’s breakdown this matchup by position and see if the Bobcats stand a chance to win two in a row:

1. The Point – Edge: Bobcats

Kirk Hinrich is a defensive stalwart and actually had two really nice games lately, but his offensive is normally pretty shaky, and all the Bulls have behind him is the vastly under-sized Nate Robinson. Kemba Walker had a solid showing the last time these two teams met, so I don’t see why he can’t produce and be effective again. Ramon Sessions off the bench gives them the edge in depth and versatility, as well.