Bobcats' Bell out two games with injury

Charlotte Bobcats starting shooting guard Raja Bell will miss at least two games, tonight at Miami and tomorrow against the Los Angeles Clippers, the team said yesterday after he suffered a groin injury in the team's loss to Atlanta Friday . . . Cleveland Cavaliers forward Wally Szczerbiak will play today against the Los Angeles Lakers with a protective mask after breaking his nose in Wednesday's win at New York . . . Oklahoma City center Nenad Krstic has returned to practice after a bout of the flu kept him out of Friday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers, and could play against the Sacramento Kings tonight . . . The Bobcats traded managing partner Michael Jordan's first draft pick, struggling forward Adam Morrison, and reserve guard Shannon Brown to the Lakers for forward Vladimir Radmanovic. The former Gonzaga star had fallen out of favor with coach Larry Brown.

The Dallas Stars placed controversial left wing Sean Avery on waivers, moving him one step closer toward a possible return to the NHL. A league person with firsthand knowledge of the situation said Avery has completed a counseling program under the NHL/NHLPA behavioral health program and was placed on Dallas's active roster. Stars officials and players have said they don't want Avery back under any circumstances . . . Detroit Red Wings right wing Tomas Holmstrom will undergo hernia surgery Wednesday in Philadelphia and is expected to miss up to five weeks.

Ruslan Chagaev (25-0-1, 17 KOs) won a technical decision over Carl Davis Drumond (26-2, 20 KOs) in Rostock, Germany, in the Uzbekistan-born heavyweight's first fight in more than a year. The World Boxing Association's "champion in recess," Chagaev was ahead of Drumond on points when referee Gustavo Padilla stopped the bout after the sixth round. An accidental head-butt had opened a nasty cut over Chagaev's swollen left eye, marring his vision. Chagaev was the WBA champion when he bowed out of a rematch with Nikolai Valuev because of a ruptured Achilles' tendon. On the undercard, Ukraine's Andreas Kotelnik (31-2-1, 13 KOs) kept his WBA junior welterweight title with a split decision over Marcos Rene Maidana (25-1, 24 KOs) . . . Undisputed super flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan (32-1-1, 26 KOs) punished Jorge Arce (51-5-1) with powerful left hooks from the opening bell to score an 11th-round KO in Anaheim, Calif., and retain his WBA, World Boxing Council, and International Boxing Federation belts.

Favorites Jill Craybas of East Greenwich, R.I., and Gisela Dulko of Argentina won in straight sets in Surprise, Ariz., to leave the countries tied, 1-1, after the opening day of their first-round Fed Cup competition. Craybas won, 6-2, 6-1, over Betina Jozami. Dulko defeated 17-year-old Melanie Oudin, 6-2, 7-5. In other Fed Cup play, Flavia Pennetta beat Amelie Mauresmo in Orleans, France, as Italy took a 2-0 lead over France. Defending champion Russia led China, 2-0, and Spain and the Czech Republic were tied at 1-1 . . . Mario Ancic saved three match points to beat Jan Hernych, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 7-6 (11-9), and set up an all-Croatian final with Marin Cilic, who beat Viktor Troicki, 6-2, 7-5, at the Zagreb Indoors.

Nationals pitcher Shawn Hill won his salary arbitration case when a panel awarded him the $775,000 contract he sought instead of the $500,000 the team offered . . . Reliever George Sherrill and the Orioles agreed to terms on a $2.75 million, one-year contract . . . Americans Lolo Jones and David Oliver swept the 60-meter hurdles at the Sparkassen Cup indoor meet in Stuttgart, Germany. Jones finished in 7.85 seconds; Oliver won in 7.45 . . . The Sports Museum is accepting entries for the 2009 Will McDonough Writing Contest for students in grades 4-12. Information is available at www.sportsmuseum.org . . . The New England Riptide, one of six National Pro Fastpitch women's teams, will take the 2009 season off, but plan to return in 2010 . . . Betty Jameson, 89, one of the 13 founding members of the LPGA Tour, died, the Tour said.