Hornets Get a Win in Jones’ Absence

It took the Charlotte Hornets four games to figure out how to win without Eddie Jones.

“We slipped but we’re back,” David Wesley said after Charlotte defeated the Atlanta Hawks 108-104 on Monday night. It was the Hornets’ first victory since Jones, their leading scorer and top defender, went out with an elbow injury that is expected to sideline him for 3-6 weeks.

“When it comes time to take tough shots and you don’t have that guy on the floor, it makes it difficult for you,” Wesley said. “So we’ve got to focus and we’ve got to execute. When we get double-teamed, we’ve got to pass off. And when we get open shots, we’ve got to knock them down.”

The Hornets shot 49 percent and had seven players score in double figures. Charlotte also had a 42-31 rebounding edge and good ball movement, leading to assists on 30 of their 35 baskets.

The inside-outside combination of Derrick Coleman and Wesley was particularly effective. Coleman had 25 points and 16 rebounds and Wesley had 23 points, 12 assists and three steals.

Minnesota 107, Orlando 105--Malik Sealy’s desperation putback at the buzzer gave the Timberwolves a victory at Orlando, ending the Magic’s five-game winning streak.

Indiana 103, Chicago 91--Dale Davis led five Pacers in double figures with 21 points, Jalen Rose had 20, Rik Smits 15 and Travis Best scored his all 12 of his points in the second quarter at Chicago.

The Bulls lost their eighth game in a row.

Utah 92, Phoenix 91--Karl Malone scored 28 points and Bryon Russell added 14 as the Jazz overcame another triple-double by Jason Kidd to win at Salt Lake City. Kidd had 16 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds.

Philadelphia 100, Vancouver 93--Allen Iverson scored nine of his 29 points in the final five minutes and Matt Geiger had a season-high 20 as the 76ers won at Vancouver, Canada.

Elsewhere

The Phoenix Suns team doctor believes a sports dietary supplement that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration wants off the market probably caused the seizure that nearly killed forward Tom Gugliotta. “We’ve got a most-likely cause here certainly,” Dr. Richard Emerson said. “Certainly it’s consistent with the other reports that we have received with other people who have taken it.” The product contains furanone, a chemical name for gamma butyrolactone. The FDA says gamma butyrolactone, or GBL, and two related chemicals have been linked to 144 serious illnesses, including three that resulted in death. “I didn’t have any idea something like this could happen,” Gugliotta said. “I nearly lost my life. You would have to be totally crazy to take it if you knew beforehand what could happen.” . . . Knick forward Kurt Thomas was suspended for two games without pay and fined $10,000 for punching Jalen Rose of the Indiana Pacers. Rose was not suspended or fined. . . . Knick forward John Wallace spent about 12 hours in jail after being arrested near Times Square on charges of driving with a suspended license.