Pacers’ Teen Rookie Bender Sidelined By Broken Wrist

Indianapolis Pacer rookie Jonathan Bender broke his wrist in the team’s exhibition game Wednesday night and will be sidelined four to six weeks.

The rookie forward was going up for a layup in the fourth quarter of his first NBA exhibition game when he was fouled hard by Chris Herron of the Denver Nuggets.

Bender, 18, was the fifth player selected in the June draft. He was the Toronto Raptors’ top draft pick, and the Pacers acquired him in a draft-day trade that sent veteran power forward Antonio Davis to the Raptors.

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Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone, resting a strained lower back, didn’t practice Thursday or travel with the team to Boise, Idaho, for tonight’s exhibition game against Seattle. . . . Jimmy Oliver, who has played with five NBA teams over eight seasons, was signed to a non-guaranteed contract by the New York Knicks. The 6-foot-5 swingman played two games for Phoenix last season before going to the Spanish League, where he averaged 19.7 points. . . . The Cleveland Cavaliers waived guard Tony Smith, 31, who last played in the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks during the 1997-98 season.