CHARLOTTE - Boris Diaw dominated Phoenix a month after being dealt by the Suns, scoring 26 points and grabbing 11 rebounds to lead the surging Charlotte Bobcats to a 98-76 win on Friday night.

In their first meeting since last month's trade that sent Jason Richardson from North Carolina to Arizona, the teams continued in opposite directions.

Diaw scored 14 points in the third quarter and displayed his versatility, Gerald Wallace finished with 28 points and ex-Sun Raja Bell had nine points and a career-high eight assists in Charlotte's fifth win in six games.

Shaquille O'Neal had 20 points for the Suns, who had been 9-0 against Charlotte. Richardson, the Bobcats' top scorer before the trade, was held to eight points. Phoenix has lost three in a row and five of six.

Diaw and Bell have helped the Bobcats shed their image as a struggling expansion franchise. Charlotte had allowed the Suns to score at least 110 points in each of their previous matchups

Charlotte's 11th win in 18 games since the duo got comfortable in their new home was likely the sweetest.

Diaw, Bell and backup point guard Sean Singletary were sent to Charlotte Dec. 10 for Richardson and reserve forward Jared Dudley.

Warmups resembled a class reunion, with Diaw chatting with his former teammates, Bell talking to Suns staff members and Dudley and Bobcats guard Raymond Felton joking at midcourt.

Bell and Diaw, who were in their fourth seasons in Phoenix, had their roles reduced following O'Neal's acquisition and coach Terry Porter replacing Mike D'Antoni.

While Bell said he'd "have to check my emotions at the door,'' Richardson stressed it wasn't as jarring as when he was traded by Golden State to Charlotte in 2007.

Richardson, who received polite applause when he was introduced, was guarded by Bell most of the night and couldn't prevent another terrible start.

Four nights after their first-half stinker in a blowout loss at Boston, the Suns repeated the futility, falling behind 59-37 at halftime.

Poor passes and a disjointed offense produced a 2-for-15 start from the field. The Suns scored a season-low 13 points in the first quarter.

The Bobcats had no answer for Wallace, who had 22 points at halftime as Charlotte repeatedly beat Phoenix in transition.

Things got so bad Steve Nash missed a free throw for the first time in a month, ending his streak of 54 straight, and the Suns committed 14 first-half turnovers.

Diaw took over in the third quarter to keep the Suns at bay.

He hit two 3-pointers, made a runner in the lane, a half-hook off a post move and seemed to have fun in extending the lead to as many as 34 points.

He left his right arm extended for a couple of seconds - but never looked at the Phoenix bench - after draining a 3 to put Charlotte ahead 81-55.

Notes: Asked if he felt the Bobcats would make another trade, coach Larry Brown said managing partner Michael Jordan "wants to be active and wants to make us better,'' before adding, "but he keeps telling me the most important thing is we've got to improve the guys we have.'' ... The Bobcats wore uniforms with stripes resembling a checkered flag down the side on NASCAR night. Jeff Gordon was among the drivers on hand. ... The win means Dallas (0-10) is the only team the fifth-year Bobcats have never beaten.

Bobcats Head Coach Larry Brown
(On tonight’s game)
"We just played better. Our defense was about as good as we’ve played. We moved the ball better, until the fourth quarter we did not turn the ball over a lot and we had great shots. It was an unbelievably great game, I don’t think we could have played any better. Yhey’re a hard team to play. Thank God we had three big guys. Gerald offered some fouls, so did Juwan. It’s hard to guard that guy (Shaquille O’ Neal) and it looks like he’s getting in better shape. I thought our defense was really good; besides Shaq getting inside we defended everybody else pretty good. Then offensively we just got great shots. Gerald had an unbelievable (first) half, Raja didn’t get many shots but he had eight assists and he defended well. I was so pleased with everybody. That was a real team win."

(On Raja Bell and Boris Diaw)
"They played about as well as I could ever expect. I’m so proud of Raja because he just plays, he does all the little things. And Boris was phenomenal tonight. I think they’ve both been great since we got them. Under the circumstances it was a pretty nice ending."

(On the team’s progress)
"We’re 1,000 percent better. Our players are better. We have a lot of guys that have improved, especially Emeka, certainly Raymond and Gerald. I think Gerald, every time he steps out on the court he’s playing with a triple double now, the way he’s playing, in my mind. A lot of our young people have gotten better. I think as a team we are doing a better job as coaches in terms of having a rotation as far as guys knowing what their roles are. We defend better, we rebound better, we pass the ball better, our shot selection is better; I don’t think there is an area where we haven’t dramatically improved."

Bobcats guard Raja Bell
(On beating his former team and the team’s play)
"I’m happy first and foremost because we came out as a team and really played well tonight. It happened to be against the Suns, and that’s pretty cool, but the fact is we’re getting better as a team night in and night out and we’re doing some pretty special things. That’s what I’m excited about, because we’re here trying to creep into a (playoff) spot and trying to do some things with our season. That’s the brightest part of tonight’s game."

(On whether or not the goal is to make the playoffs)
"It’s got to be. Even if you don’t make it, you’ve got to be shooting for it as long as it’s mathematically possible. We’re playing good basketball right now and I think we can get better. We’re playing hard and we play defense. We understand that we’re not going to run the table, but we’re going to work for it and that’s got to be our goal as long as it’s possible."

(On Boris Diaw’s game tonight)
"I think his game spoke for itself tonight. I said he was my hero tonight. He’s a special player. When he’s confident and aggressive and really feeling it, he is as good as anybody."

Bobcats forward Gerald Wallace
(On the game)
"(We played) as a team – that was the main thing. We went out and played this game from the first quarter to the fourth quarter as a team. We executed on offense, we executed on defense and we took care of the things that we needed to take care of."

(On the team)
"I don’t even recognize this team. Like I said last game, we’re getting better. We’re getting better every game. We’re understanding and taking heed to what we can do, what we can be and what we can accomplish as a team if we just stick together and go out and execute the things that the coaches want us to do. Do those things and good things happen. (We have to) trust each other on both ends of the court. The team is starting to see that now, especially with guys maturing like Emeka and Raymond and with the addition of Boris and Raja. We’re starting to gel and our chemistry is getting a lot better."

Bobcats forward Boris Diaw
(On the team)
"We have a winning mentality as a team. We have been beating a lot of good teams lately – Boston, Detroit and now the Suns."

(On the game)
"It was a lot of fun. It was a good game. It was a little different because it was against the team that I was traded from, but it was definitely a great game. I’m definitely feeling good because it was another good team that we beat."

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