Somerville, N.J. ? Jayson Williams won key pretrial rulings in his manslaughter case as a state judge refused to allow prosecutors to introduce evidence that the retired NBA player killed his dog with a shotgun and then ordered a witness at gunpoint to bury the animal.

Superior Court Judge Edward M. Coleman also Wednesday declined to permit the jury to hear about a pistol discharge at the Meadowlands sports complex that resulted in Williams being ordered to make speeches and place advertisements warning of mixing alcohol and firearms.

The defense had opposed the two-pronged motion, with lawyer Joseph A. Hayden Jr. saying, “It is a strategic attempt by the prosecution to smear Mr. Williams in the eyes of the jury and deny him a fair trial.”

Assistant Hunterdon County Prosecutor Katharine L. Errickson argued evidence about Williams’ previous carelessness with guns was relevant.

“He knew the dangers of guns and alcohol, not from the abstract, but from his own experience in life,” she said.

The judge noted the dog episode would be very likely to inflame the jury against Williams and that the Meadowlands incident happened eight years before the shooting for which Williams is on trial.

Williams, 35, faces seven charges, including aggravated manslaughter.

The retired New Jersey Nets center is accused of shooting and killing limousine driver Costas “Gus” Christofi.