Thursday, January 17, 2002
Nets blitz Wizards
Jordan scores 10 in team's worst beating of the year
By The Associated Press
![[img]](http://enquirer.com/editions/2002/01/17/nba_150x200.jpg)
New Jersey Nets' Kerry Kittles, left, reaches around Washington Wizards' Michael Jordan attempting to steal the ball.
(AP photo)
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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New Jersey Nets filled their arena for the first time this season, and even Michael Jordan spent most of the night sitting and watching in awe.
The Nets got off to an absurdly good start Wednesday night, hitting their first 13 shots and opening a 41-point lead before halftime to defeat the Washington Wizards 111-67 for the franchise's first six-game winning streak in nine years.
New Jersey (26-11) matched its victory total from last season, improved the Eastern Conference's best record and sent Jordan's Wizards to their fourth consecutive defeat.
Keith Van Horn scored 27, Aaron Williams had 17, Kenyon Martin 14 and Jason Kidd added 11 points, 12 assists and five rebounds for the Nets, who had their largest victory margin of the season.
Jordan scored just 10 points for Washington and sat out the entire second half as the Wizards went down to their most lopsided defeat and had their lowest point total of the season.
Celtics 101, Knicks 100
BOSTON — Paul Pierce had 30 points and Tony Battie scored a career-high 20 as the Knicks lost their sixth in a row.
Eric Williams hit the go-ahead 3-point shot with 32.9 seconds remaining to give the Celtics a 98-96 lead. He then stole the ball from Allan Houston, which led to a free throw by Pierce.
After Erick Strickland hit a pair of free-throws, Kurt Thomas hit a 3-pointer with 4.2 seconds remaining to pull the Knicks within one. The Celtics successfully inbounded the ball, though, and Latrell Sprewell could not run down Pierce before time expired.
Houston had 28 points for the Knicks.
Raptors 109, Rockets 103
TORONTO — Vince Carter scored 29 points and Hakeem Olajuwon had six points and five rebounds in his first game against his former team.
Olajuwon, who played 31 minutes, was not much of a factor playing against the team he spent 17 seasons with before the Raptors acquired him in the summer.
Alvin Williams added 21 points for Toronto, which shot 56 percent from the field.
Moochie Norris, filling in for the ailing Steve Francis, had 28 points.
Bucks 105, Pacers 100
MILWAUKEE — Ray Allen scored 36 points, including seven 3-pointers, and Sam Cassell added 20 points as Milwaukee won its fifth straight.
It was Milwaukee's second consecutive victory over Indiana, which fell 106-102 to the Bucks on Tuesday night in Indianapolis.
Two free throws by Cassell put the Bucks up 100-95 with 28.3 seconds left, but Reggie Miller's 3-pointer made it 100-98 with 24.6 seconds left.
Milwaukee made five of six free throws in the final 20 seconds to clinch the victory.
Miller had 27 points for the Pacers, who lost their fourth straight.
Kings 112, Nuggets 107
DENVER — Doug Christie scored 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, and Sacramento won its 10th in a row.
Peja Stojakovic had 29 points and Chris Webber 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Kings, who erased a nine-point deficit late in the third quarter.
Raef LaFrentz had 30 points and 10 rebounds for Denver, and Avery Johnson added 23 points and 12 assists.
The Nuggets were without their leading scorer, Nick Van Exel, who did not play because of a bruised jaw.
Jazz 95, SuperSonics 80
SALT LAKE CITY — Rookie Jarron Collins scored a career-best 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Utah.
The 6-foot-11 Collins, in his 26th NBA game, hit all nine of his field goal attempts and easily topped his previous high of 13 points.
Karl Malone scored 17 points and John Stockton added 15 as Utah won its eighth straight over Sonics, including three this season.
Gary Payton led Seattle with 21 points.
Trail Blazers 108, Suns 99
PHOENIX — Damon Stoudamire scored eight of his 19 points in the last seven minutes for Portland.
It was Portland's first win over Phoenix after twice giving up late leads in losses to the Suns.
Rasheed Wallace had 19 points to help Portland to its fourth straight victory.
Stephon Marbury had 29 points and nine assists and Marion had 19 points and 15 rebounds for Phoenix, which lost for the seventh time in eight games.
Heat 102, Lakers 96
LOS ANGELES — Alonzo Mourning had 28 points and 11 rebounds, and Jimmy Jackson scored eight of his 19 points in the fourth quarter as Miami reached the 100-point plateau for the first time this season.
The Heat (10-27), who won for the fifth time in eight games, blew a 24-point lead before outscoring the Lakers 12-0 to finish the game.
The Heat went an NBA-record 35 straight games without scoring 100 points, and it appeared they might not make it again when they fell behind 92-86 on Lindsey Hunter's 3-point shot with 4:28 remaining.
However, Mourning's dunk with 4:04 left, ending a Miami scoring drought of over 5 1/2 minutes, got the Heat going.
Kobe Bryant had 29 points to lead the Lakers, who were without suspended center Shaquille O'Neal.
Warriors 117, Cavaliers 88
OAKLAND, Calif. — Larry Hughes scored 20 points and Antawn Jamison added 18 as Golden State snapped its seven-game losing streak.
Jason Richardson scored 15 points and Adonal Foyle had a season-high 14 as the Warriors emphatically ended their 2 1/2-week skid with their biggest victory margin and highest point total of the season. Cleveland got its eighth straight loss.
Golden State made a 19-6 run to a 15-point halftime lead, then made a 12-4 run to a 21-point lead in the third quarter — all foreign territory to the Warriors, who have won consecutive games just once since early November.
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![[img]](http://enquirer.com/editions/2002/01/17/nba_zoom.jpg)
Nets blitz Wizards
