Larry Brown out as Bobcats coach

After a miserable start to the season in which he took shots at his players and himself, Larry Brown is out as coach of the Charlotte Bobcats in another messy exit in his well-traveled career.

The team announced later Wednesday that former Charlotte Hornets coach Paul Silas will take over on an interim basis.

Owner Michael Jordan announced Brown's departure in a news release a day after the Bobcats were outscored 31-12 in the fourth quarter in their fourth straight loss.

Brown, 70, had been upset with the makeup and effort of his team for weeks. The Bobcats (9-19) had lost three games by 31 or more points in 10 days before Tuesday's fourth-quarter meltdown against Oklahoma City.

"I met with Coach Brown two weeks ago about the team's performance and what we could do to improve it," Jordan said. "We met again this morning after practice. The team has clearly not lived up to either of our expectations and we both agreed that a change was necessary."

Brown leaves with an 88-108 mark with the Bobcats.

NBA viewing up

More viewers are tuning into the NBA - and it's not just the fascination with the Miami Heat. Television ratings for games on ESPN and TNT are up more than 30 percent so far this season compared to last year. Sure, the Heat are drawing big audiences after a summer of free agent intrigue concluded with LeBron James and Chris Bosh joining Dwyane Wade in Miami. Ratings for Heat games on ESPN have increased 69 percent from last season.

Hawks 98, Cavaliers 84: Joe Johnson scored 23 points in his best game since his return from elbow surgery to lead Atlanta past Antawn Jamison and Cleveland. Jamison had 23 points but the Hawks were stronger with their balanced attack in their eighth straight home victory. The Cavaliers have lost 12 straight on the road and 12 of 13 overall. - AP