Wallace leads Charlotte over winless Nets
Gerald Wallace had 24 points and 20 rebounds and the Charlotte Bobcats held the visiting New Jersey Nets without a point for more than 10 minutes, rallying for a 79-68 victory last night.
The Nets' ineptitude allowed Charlotte to go on a 24-0 run bridging the third and fourth quarters, wiping out the Bobcats' poor offensive start. D.J. Augustin added 21 points.
The Nets dropped to 0-4, thanks to a brutal stretch where they lost Yi Jianlian to a sprained right knee and went nearly 11 1/2 minutes without a field goal. The Nets went 0-for-11 from the floor with nine turnovers before Chris Douglas-Roberts' three-point play. Douglas-Roberts finished with 20 points.
In other games:
* At New York, David Lee scored 28 points, Al Harrington had 13 of his 24 in the fourth quarter, and the Knicks earned their first victory of the season by beating New Orleans, 117-111. Chris Paul had 32 points and 13 assists for the Hornets.
* At Salt Lake City, Aaron Brooks scored 19 points and had nine assists in the Houston Rockets' 113-96 win over the Utah Jazz.
Noteworthy
* Charlotte guard Raja Bell has decided to put off surgery for a partially torn ligament in his left wrist to see if he can play through the season. Surgery would sideline him up to 4 months,
* Milwaukee guard Michael Redd is out for at least 2 weeks after straining a tendon in his left knee during Saturday night's home opener. He had torn two ligaments in the same knee on Jan. 24 and missed the remainder of last season, but said he felt healthy and stronger than ever coming into training camp.
* Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Popeye Jones is free on bond after being arrested on a drunken-driving charge in Richardson, Texas, Sunday night. Police said motorists reported a sport-utility vehicle being driven erratically and officers found the SUV stopped with Jones at the wheel. A spokesman said Jones declined a breath test, but officers believed he was drunk. There was a minor struggle when police tried to arrest him and Jones was taken to the ground, causing minor facial cuts.
