NBA

Knicks’ Felton committed to playing hurt vs. Bobcats

CAROLINA BLUES: Knicks point guard Raymond Felton, who suffered a left thumb bone bruise Sunday against Sebastian Telfair and the Suns, will make an extra effort to play tomorrow near his roots in Charlotte, friends said. (AP)

It’s likely going to take more than a finger injury to keep Raymond Felton out of a game near his old stomping grounds in Charlotte, N.C.

The tough-as-nails point guard is nursing a badly bruised left thumb suffered in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s win over the Suns. But Felton’s friends expect him out there tomorrow night when the Knicks visit the surprising Bobcats, led by former St. John’s coach Mike Dunlap.

It’s an intriguing trip for the Knicks, who face Miami on Thursday in the second night of a back-to-back before Saturday’s showdown in Chicago against another Eastern Conference title contender.

How the ailing Felton and 39-year-old Jason Kidd hold up will be the key to the three-game trip as Knicks coach Mike Woodson faces a point-guard muddle.

Felton is officially listed by the Knicks as day-to-day, but logic goes out the window when Felton visits the Tobacco Road region. Felton played his first five seasons with Charlotte after winning the 2005 NCAA title at North Carolina. Felton is a native of nearby Latta, S.C., and a host of family members attend his games in Charlotte. He is a community leader there through his charity work.

Felton is having a terrific start to his second stint with the Knicks, averaging 15.1 points and 6.8 assists per game. He played the final 14:45 Sunday despite jarring pain in the base of his thumb, which he injured driving to the hole off a pick-and-roll as he slapped his hand against Sebastian Telfair’s knee.

Felton, who played through a bad wrist for several games in his first Knicks stint, could wear a protective wrap on his thumb. Some in the organization feel getting a sure win against Charlotte is as important as a potential statement game in Miami. The Bobcats are 7-9 after finishing last season with the worst winning percentage (.106, 7-59) in NBA history.

Backup point guard Pablo Prigioni sustained a bloody nose in the Phoenix game after getting hit by Telfair, but the Argentine war horse should be ready.

Kidd’s situation is murkier. He has missed four straight games with back spasms. He said Friday the plan was to return on the three-game road trip — with the Heat game the likeliest return date. Woodson said he will have to carefully monitor Kidd’s minutes.

It has been one juggle after another for Woodson, who lost out yesterday to the Nets’ Avery Johnson for Coach of the Month for November. Both teams shared the same 11-4 November record, but Woodson took the Knicks there despite not having two projected starters in Amar’e Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert available for a single game. Woodson’s Knicks posted electric wins at home against Miami and on the road in San Antonio.

“He’s not given enough credit for the success we’re having,’’ Steve Novak said.

No Knicks coach has won the monthly award since Pat Riley in March 1994, and the players were disappointed for Woodson.

“Woodson deserves that honor,’’ Ronnie Brewer said before the vote was announced. “We started off well due to him, guys buying into the concept of playing defense. Bringing unselfish guys in like Felton, Kidd, Pablo, the team feeding off those guys. If it’s up to me, he would get that award.’’

Novak said Woodson reminds him of the Spurs’ Gregg Popovich.

“He definitely connects with the guys on a level where he can be the guy who tells you when you did something wrong,’’ Novak said. “He can get into you and yell at you. But he also can talk to you on a friend level. Some coaches will only be one. They’ll only yell at you or only be your friend. Neither one seems to ever work.

“When I played with Coach Popovich in San Antonio, he had that relationship,’’ Novak added. “He was able to really get into guys and speak to them like he was their friend. That goes a long way in the locker room. Guys respect that.’’

The Knicks are a perfect 7-0 at the Garden, and Woodson is 18-1 at home since taking over for Mike D’Antoni last March. Now the Knicks have to bring it on the road. Three of their four losses have come on the second nights of back-to-backs on the road: in Memphis, Dallas and Brooklyn.

“I think he deserves it,’’ Felton said of the coaching award. “He’s a coach who sticks to his system offensively and defensively and he fires us up and has us ready to play.”

“He wants guys to buy into defense even if you’re not a defensive player,’’ Brewer said. “You have to hold each other accountable. That’s one of the things that’s rubbed off on us.’’

marc.berman@nypost.com