CHARLOTTE — Gerald Wallace had 24 points and a career-high 20 rebounds and the Charlotte Bobcats held the New Jersey Nets without a point for more than 10 minutes in rallying for a 79-68 victory on Monday.
The Nets' ineptitude allowed Charlotte to go on a 24-0 run bridging the third and fourth quarters, wiping out the Bobcats' horrible offensive start. D.J. Augustin added 21 points in Raja Bell's return from a wrist injury.
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 field with nine turnovers before Chris Douglas-Roberts' three-point play ended the scoreless drought at 10:03.
Douglas-Roberts had 20 points and Brook Lopez added 18 in a game where neither team shot better than 37 percent.
Two nights after Nets coach Lawrence Frank said the team's defensive effort was "pitiful" in a loss to Washington, the offense was even worse and the injuries kept piling up.
The Nets played their second straight game without point guard Devin Harris, who was in Chicago where a specialist told him he has a strained groin and not a more serious injury.
Then New Jersey lost Yi midway through the third quarter when a falling Wallace rolled into his leg. Yi was helped to the locker room and didn't return.
It started the Nets' downfall — after the Bobcats tied a team record with only eight field goals in the first half.
The Nets tied a team low with seven points in the third quarter on 2-of-15 shooting. That allowed the athletic Wallace to take over. He shot 7 of 14 from the field and 10 of 13 from the line while dominating the glass.
A barrage of missed layups, open jumpers and shot-clock violations in the first quarter sent folks scrambling to check records for offensive ineptitude.
The teams combined to make eight of 42 shots and New Jersey led 14-10, just six points off the NBA record for the fewest points by two teams in a quarter.
When Vladimir Radmanovic sent a crosscourt pass into the third row early in the second quarter, the Bobcats were 5-for-30 from the field and trailed only 20-12. They broke 20 points with 3:44 left in the second quarter and Bell's 3-pointer with 1:45 left in the half was Charlotte's first made jump shot of the game.
The Bobcats shot a team-worst 19 percent in the first half, yet trailed only 41-33. Then the Nets imploded and the Bobcats got a win in Bell's season debut.
Deciding to put off surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist, Bell looked rusty. He shot 1 for 8 and finished with three points and four rebounds.
But he had company in his bad shooting. Radmanovic was 0 for 7 and New Jersey's Rafer Alston was 1 for 8 filling in for Harris at point guard.
Notes
The Nets dropped to 8-2 in Charlotte. The Bobcats are the only team they have a winning road record against. … Bobcats coach Larry Brown said G Ronald "Flip" Murray (shin) could return Friday against Atlanta. … The Nets are awaiting a second opinion on F Tony Battie's injured right knee. … Nets G Keyon Dooling (hip) went through shootaround, but isn't ready to return. … Nets F Trenton Hassell (personal reasons) wasn't with the team.