EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. ? New Jersey Nets leading scorer Richard Jefferson will miss the rest of the regular season because of a wrist injury that he claims resulted from a dirty play by Detroit guard Chauncey Billups.

An MRI on Monday night revealed Jefferson ruptured a ligament in his left wrist. Surgery is expected within the next two weeks.

Nets president Rod Thorn said Jefferson would not be ready to play again until the second half of May, effectively ending his season. However, the 24-year-old Jefferson hoped to be ready for the postseason if the three-time defending Atlantic Division champions found a way to get that far without him.

The extremely durable Jefferson insisted the injury happened when Billups undercut him on a layup attempt on Dec. 27 in Detroit, causing him to fall on his wrist. It was the same one he hurt earlier in the month against the Knicks.

Billups was called for a flagrant foul on the play.

After initially calling the play questionable, Jefferson blamed Billups, who was at the Continental Airlines Arena for a game between the Nets and Pistons on Tuesday night.

“I wouldn’t say it was a cheap shot,” Jefferson said. “I don’t think it was retaliation. I don’t feel it was a cheap shot. Was it a bad play? Was it a dirty play? Yes. Is Chauncey Billups a dirty player? By no means, I don’t think so.”

Jefferson said he didn’t complain about the play when it happened, and he was not complaining about it now.

“But look what happened from that play,” said the athletic swingman, who only had missed five games in his first three-plus seasons.

“I feel bad he is hurt,” Pistons coach Larry Brown said.