Did the Bulls trash-talk themselves into a loss Wednesday to the Charlotte Bobcats? The Bobcats say yes.

"They said some things like, `We lost to the Bad News Bears.' That kind of got to us a little bit and motivated us," said Melvin Ely, the Chicagoan from Thornton High School who had a game- and season-high 20 points. "Anytime you win in this league, it's not luck. We lost that first game to them, but then when they got a loss (Dec. 20 in Chicago), don't go speaking about it. That motivated us a lot."

Primoz Brezec made the go-ahead basket in the final seconds and Knight scored 22 points as the Bobcats beat the Atlanta Hawks 93-90 on Tuesday night.

Knight liked how his team held together without Kareem Rush and Emeka Okafor, two of the Bobcats' top three scorers.

"There was no breakdown," Knight said. "That's the NBA lead. Teams make runs. We knew that they would make a run. They got their fans into it, and we weren't making any shots."

The Bobcats improved to 4-11 on the road, but they have won three consecutive away games and three of four overall.

Reserves Bernard Robinson and Keith Bogans each scored 13 points for Charlotte, which snapped Atlanta's four-game winning streak at home.

Sean May won't play tonight when the Charlotte visits Atlanta, but he's expected back in the Bobcats' lineup sometime this week.

May missed Charlotte's last pre-Christmas game against the Los Angeles Clippers with a sore right knee. And according to the Charlotte Observer, he'll miss at least another game as he tries to regain his jumping ability. After scoring in double figures in three straight games in mid-December, May scored four, seven, one and six points before missing the Dec. 23 game against the Clippers.

May, who had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee last summer due to torn cartilage, also had just two rebounds in each game.

He missed three games in late November as well.

The Charlotte Bobcats were extremely thin upfront Friday night and the Clippers bigman took advantage in historic fashion.

For only the 5th time in NBA History, two teammates Elton Brand and Chris Kaman had 30/20 and 20/20 (pts/rebs) in the same game.

"I was trying to get to 25 but Elton kept taking them all," Kaman said. "Elton started going crazy and blocking shots and taking my rebounds. So I was a little bit upset with him. We're not on good terms."

The Bobcats were without forwards Emeka Okafor, Sean May and Jake Voskuhl, who were all nursing injuries.

The last time two teammates accomplished the 30/20 and 20/20 was back in 1970 when Willis Reed and Dave DeBusschere did it in a game for the New York Knicks.

Charlotte Bobcats forward Emeka Okafor is expected to sit out about 10 days with a sprained right ankle.
Okafor was injured in Monday night's game against Sacramento, and an MRI exam taken Tuesday in Charlotte was negative. Okafor did not accompany the team to Chicago for Tuesday's game.

Okafor, averaging 12.9 points and a team-high 10.1 rebounds, was injured late in the third quarter of Monday's overtime victory over Sacramento when he collided with the Kings' Francisco Garcia while going for a rebound. He rolled around momentarily, grasping his leg, and was unable to put pressure on it as he left.

The Bulls were without leading scorer Luol Deng, who bruised his right knee in Saturday's victory over Boston. An MRI exam taken Monday was negative.

Bobcats forward Emeka Okafor had an MRI exam on his sprained right ankle Tuesday in Charlotte and did not accompany the team to Chicago.

The Bobcats prevailed 105-92 in Chicago.

Okafor, averaging 12.9 points and a team-high 10.1 rebounds, was injured late in the third quarter of Monday's overtime victory over Sacramento when he collided with the Kings' Francisco Garcia while going for a rebound. He rolled around momentarily, grasping his leg, and was unable to put pressure on it as he left.

The results of the MRI were not immediately available.

"I don't have the courage to inquire right now," Charlotte coach Bernie Bickerstaff said before Tuesday's game.

Besides Okafor, starting guard Kareem Rush (sprained left index finger), forward Melvin Ely (flu-like symptoms) and center Jake Voskuhl (sprained right ankle) stayed home. Rush, second on the team with 13.5 points per game, aggravated an injury that has bothered him on and off for about a month during Monday's game.

The Bulls were without leading scorer Luol Deng, who bruised his right knee in Saturday's victory over Boston. An MRI taken Monday was negative.

Charlotte forward Emeka Okafor left the Bobcats' game against the Sacramento Kings on Monday night with an apparent leg injury.

Okafor was hurt with 1:06 left in the third quarter when he and Sacramento's Francisco Garcia both went after a rebound and their legs smashed into each other under the basket. Both crumpled to the floor, but Okafor was clearly in serious pain.

He rolled around for a moment grasping his right leg, and was unable to put any pressure on it as he was taken to the locker room.

Earlier in the game, Charlotte guard Kareem Rush strained his left index finger to end his night, and Sacramento guard Bonzi Wells left with a strained groin.

Charlotte Bobcats guard Kareem Rush will undergo an MRI on his left index finger after injuring it Friday night during a 107-100 loss to the Golden State Warriors.

Rush hurt his finger midway through the third quarter when he fouled Jason Richardson. The fourth-year shooting guard was replaced by Matt Carroll.

Rush had six points in nearly 19 minutes against the Warriors. He averages 15.6 points a game and had reached double figures in his previous eight games.

Brevin Knight seems to have found a home, a place where he can grow some roots as an NBA player.

But the eighth-year point guard still sounds skeptical when asked if he feels settled in during his second season with the Charlotte Bobcats.

``You never know in this game,'' Knight said before Friday night's game against the Warriors. ``You take it year by year. If you can stay around, then that's great. If you've got to move on, that's what you've got to do.''

Could you blame the former Stanford star for being a bit guarded? After being drafted 16th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1997, Knight bounced around to five teams before signing with Charlotte as a free agent before the 2004-05 season.  The New York Knicks have already expressed an interest in aquiring Knight this season.

He flourished with the expansion Bobcats last season, registering a career-best 10.1 points and 9.0 assists, which ranked second in the NBA behind Steve Nash.

``I think you just start to figure out who you are and what you can do in this league,'' Knight said. ``And I've been healthy the last couple of years, which has allowed me to do the things I knew I was capable of doing.''

The Golden State Warriors have shed their losing ways, at least for the first month of the season.

Jason Richardson scored a season-high 33 points, and Baron Davis added 25 points and 16 assists to lead Golden State past Sacramento 113-106 on Wednesday night for its fourth straight win.

The Warriors (11-6) have their best start since winning 12 of their first 17 games in 1991-92, and had their winningest month since March 1992.

"I think we're off to a good start. But that's what it is: a start," Golden State's Mike Dunleavy said. "We're on the right track. We have a winning record, we're at the top of our division, but it's only a start."