Bobcats coach Brown plays all his regulars

Before the game, Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown was torn between doing what was right for the NBA and what was best for his team.

Brown said Tuesday that he'd play his regulars against the Bulls because the game would decide a playoff berth, but he wanted to give a few players the night off because the game was meaningless to the Bobcats.

''It's a dilemma,'' Brown said. ''I see Gerald [Wallace], he's banged up. Tyrus [Thomas] is banged up. We've got some issues physically, but my gut is to try to play the right way and do the right thing, so hopefully we figure this out.

''I'm going to talk to the team about it. They understand what's at stake for Toronto and Chicago. I'm sure they want to do the right thing, too. My concern is doing the right thing for this franchise as well as the league.''

All the Charlotte regulars played, but no one logged more time than the 26:33 that Thomas, the former Bull, was on the court. He finished with team highs in points (16) and rebounds (nine).

CHANDLER HURT

With the Bobcats having nothing to play for, Brown's biggest concern was one of his key players getting hurt. That happened when center Tyson Chandler, another former Bull, went down with a right hip pointer and left elbow bruise early in the second quarter.

Chandler intercepted a tipped pass intended for James Johnson. Johnson's momentum carried him into Chandler, who fell awkwardly to the court. He didn't return.

PLAYOFF TICKETS

The Bulls were scheduled to begin selling playoff tickets this morning at 10 at the United Center box office, Bulls.com, 1-800-4NBA-TIX and Ticketmaster. Tickets will be available for six games, which will cover the first two rounds.

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