Only three games were on the schedule in the NBA on Thursday night, but each matchup brought something special to the table.

Larry Brown made his coaching debut in Charlotte, while Rick Carlisle stood on the sidelines in Dallas for the first time. In addition to those headlines, Chris Paul and Steve Nash did battle as the Suns hosted the Hornets.

- Cleveland 96, Charlotte 79

LeBron James just missed a triple-double on Thursday night as the Cavaliers downed the Bobcats in Cleveland. James had 29 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists and Daniel Gibson scored 25 points off the bench in the win. The Cavs outrebounded the Bobcats by twelve and limited Charlotte to just 33% shooting from the field. Jason Richardson scored 24 points in the loss, while rookie D.J. Augustin had 12 points and 2 assists in his professional debut.

Game FIC Scores

LeBron James, Cleveland ? 17.0

Daniel Gibson, Cleveland ? 15.4

Mo Williams, Cleveland ? 14.3

Jason Richardson, Charlotte ? 13.5

- Houston 112, Dallas 102

The Rockets used an eleven-point advantage in the four quarter to erase a slight deficit and defeat the Mavericks in Dallas. Yao Ming had 30 points and 13 rebounds and Ron Artest tallied 29 points and 6 rebounds in the victory. Both teams took good care of the ball, but the Mavs made just 41% of their shots, including a 4-for-16 mark from behind the three-point line. Dirk Nowitzki scored 36 points and Josh Howard contributed 28 points and 11 rebounds, but Dallas crumbled in the final twelve minutes.

Game FIC Scores

Yao Ming, Houston ? 27.0

Jason Kidd, Dallas ? 22.8

Josh Howard, Dallas ? 22.6

Tracy McGrady, Houston ? 16.6

- New Orleans 108, Phoenix 95

The Hornets used a strong first half to notch a victory over the Suns at the U.S. Airways Center on Thursday night. Morris Peterson scored 21 points and Chris Paul tallied 20 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds. Phoenix made 54% of their shots, but they turned the ball over twenty-four times and New Orleans hit thirteen three-pointers. Steve Nash had 24 points and 9 assists and Amare Stoudemire tallied 21 points and 12 rebounds in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Chris Paul, New Orleans ? 19.8

Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix ? 16.0

Morris Peterson, New Orleans ? 15.8

Steve Nash, Phoenix ? 14.1

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their `Reina Value.'
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

The Hornets were without forward Julian Wright on Wednesday night, and the second-year player could miss another two games because of a sprained right ankle.

Wright is not expected to play Thursday against Phoenix and possibly Saturday night against the Cleveland in the team's home opener.

Reserve Sean Marks is out with a strained calf, as well.

"Neither one is ready; that's the bottom line," Coach Byron Scott said. "Sean is probably a week away from going through a full practice. He (Wright) has missed a lot of time on the practice floor. When you do that, guys behind you or in front of you, move forward. That basically happened."

The New Orleans Hornets have exercised one-year team options on former first-round draft picks Hilton Armstrong and Julian Wright.

The moves Saturday add a fourth season to Armstrong's contract and a third to Wright's deal.

New Orleans' forward Julian Wright is expected to miss the team's remaining two preseason games with a severely sprained ankle.

"We are going to try and get him ready for the season opener," Coach Byron Scott said. "I think he's going to be down for another week or so. It's probably the same thing with Sean Marks (sprained calf), as well."

Wright was injured in the first quarter during last Tuesday's victory over the Wizards after he collided into Andray Blatche and turned his ankle.

The Hornets practiced on Sunday, but Wright only took free throws and rode a stationary bike.

The "max" deal that Chris Paul signed with the Hornets reportedly has more sweeteners in it than the one Deron Williams inked with the Jazz this summer.

Many thought that the point guards signed identical three-year deals with a fourth-year player option that will pay them the maximum allowed under the league's salary cap.

As one person close to the situation described it, Williams signed a "max contract" but not a "max-plus contract."

Paul has a 15 percent trade kicker that Williams does not, and it is also believed that the Hornets may have given Paul a sizable signing bonus.

Hornets' center Tyson Chandler sprained his right ankle in the Hornets' 106-103 win against Golden State on Sunday night, according to a report by the Associated press.

While he did not return to the game, he did return to the bench and was able to stand without apparent pain.

"I'm fine," Chandler. "I just stayed out as a precaution."