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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- The Charlotte Hornets were hoping for
something a little sharper one night before going up against the
defending NBA-champion San Antonio Spurs.
|  | | Stephon Marbury's 31 points weren't enough to topple David Wesley and the Hornets. |
The Hornets didn't make a field goal in the last four-plus
minutes but hit 10 of 12 foul shots in the final 2:35, helping them
pull out a 96-92 victory over the struggling New Jersey Nets on
Friday night.
"We don't have the mindset to go out and play tough against
someone with a good record," a frustrated Charlotte coach Paul
Silas said minutes before the Hornets boarded a late-night flight
to San Antonio.
The Hornets shot 43 percent, had 17 turnovers and were
outrebounded by a New Jersey team that fell to 1-5, the Nets' worst
start since opening 1-7 in 1991-92.
"I thought we sort of played down to our competition. I didn't
think we played our best," said Charlotte's Eddie Jones, who hit four free throws in the closing minutes and wound up with 24
points, including a 12-for-12 showing from the line. "We've got to
learn how to get up for teams that are not as good as San
Antonio."
Jones, who came in averaging an NBA-leading 3.2 steals, had five
more and added five assists as the Hornets improved to 4-0 at home.
Elden Campbell and David Wesley added 17 points apiece for
Charlotte. Wesley had 11 assists and Campbell had 11 rebounds.
"Yeah, we messed around, but we still found a way to win, which is big," Wesley said. "I don't think we can walk away from this game being happy with anything other than we won. At times, the effort wasn't there."
The Nets had 24 turnovers that Charlotte converted into 35
points, helping send the Nets to their fourth consecutive loss to
the Hornets. New Jersey shot 57 percent in the first half but wound
up at 49 percent.
"We played hard but we just made a lot of unnecessary
mistakes," said Stephon Marbury, who led New Jersey with 31
points. "It's always in the fourth quarter when you get the win or
loss, and we just didn't convert."
Kendall Gill and Scott Burrell missed 3-point tries for the Nets
in the closing seconds, and Burrell's bounced out of bounds, giving
Charlotte possession with six seconds left and a 95-92 lead.
Campbell sealed it by hitting the second of two foul shots less
than a second later.
"This was the best game that we played all year so far,"
Burrell said. "We just have to finish teams off. We played a
better game, so we'll just have to build on this one."
Marbury scored five consecutive points to put the Nets up 87-86
with 2:48 remaining. The Hornets went back on top before Keith Van
Horn evened it up again on a 3-pointer that made it 92-all with
1:19 left.
After Charlotte's Bobby Phills made the second of two free
throws at the 58-second mark, Wesley drew a charging call on Gill
with 46 seconds remaining.
Neither team was able to score on its next possession, and
Burrell was called for a loose-ball foul while battling Wesley for
a rebound. Wesley's two free throws put the Hornets up by three.
Game notes
The Nets gave a glimpse of what was ahead by opening the
game with a 7-0 run, only to turn the ball over on their next four
possessions, giving Charlotte an 8-7 lead. The Hornets led by one
after a first quarter in which New Jersey shot 69 percent but had
nine turnovers that Charlotte converted into 16 points. ... New
Jersey has lost 10 of 12 against the Hornets. ... The Nets are 0-4
against Central Division teams.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
New Jersey Clubhouse
Charlotte Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 80
New York 74
Philadelphia 92
Chicago 86
Miami 104
Washington 95
Charlotte 96
New Jersey 92
Milwaukee 107
Phoenix 92
Sacramento 105
Utah 92
Portland 93
Denver 78
Houston 97
LA Lakers 81
Golden State 103
Vancouver 93
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