DiLeo challenged Philadelphia (15-20) to make at least five 3s against Milwaukee on Wednesday night after he thought his club was being tentative because it was the worst long-distance shooting team in the NBA. The 76ers entered at 29.5 percent but kept shooting, going 8-of-15 (53.3 percent) in a 110-105 victory.

"That's what we want. We want them to have the confidence, the freedom, the green light to shoot whenever they're open," DiLeo said.

Philadelphia point guard Andre Miller, who has attempted just 27 shots from beyond the arc and has never put up more than 108 in a season, made a key 3-pointer with 28 seconds left to help seal the win. He made each of his two attempts from long range, finishing with 28 points.

In 13 games against Charlotte (13-23), Miller has made one of just six attempts from 3-point range. But in Philadelphia, the Sixers have shot well versus the Bobcats.

Philadelphia has won four straight at home against Charlotte since a 110-93 loss on Nov. 4, 2005. The 76ers are shooting 47.7 percent from 3-point range during that run, outscoring the Bobcats by an average of 13.3 points.

In the teams' only meeting this season, though, Philadelphia went 3-for-16 (18.8 percent) from long range while Charlotte made 8-of-14 (57.1 percent) in a 93-84 home win for the Bobcats on Nov. 24.

The Sixers have been much more assertive on offense since then, averaging 99.4 points in 12 games under DiLeo after posting 93.3 in 23 contests under Maurice Cheeks.

Miller, the orchestrator of the team's offense during that run, added nine rebounds and six assists while shooting 10-for-11 from the free-throw line against the Bucks.

"He's unbelievable," DiLeo said. "He sees things out on the court, he runs the team, he knows when to push it and when to pull it out."

Charlotte could have used such a player to keep its offense on track Wednesday night in a 111-81 loss to Cleveland. Bobcats guard Raymond Felton had 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting, but his teammates combined to make 36.5 percent (23-for-63) of their attempts.

Coach Larry Brown believes the Bobcats may be intimidated by teams with players such as LeBron James.

"There's some players that some of our guys play against they don't think they have a chance," Brown said. "If you look at our history, maybe that's why you don't win. You don't expect to win. The first minute of the game, you look out there and feel like you've got no chance. It's disappointing."

It was the first stop on a four-game trip for Charlotte, which has averaged 91.0 points in going 3-11 on the road.