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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Stephon Marbury walked off the
court with a look of pure satisfaction on his face, thrusting both
fists skyward and yelling "Boom!!" in perfect sync with a
postgame fireworks explosion.
"I felt good. I felt like it's coming together," Marbury said
after the New Jersey Nets won their eighth straight home game
Tuesday night, 89-83 over the New York Knicks. "I get this feeling
inside that it's coming around. It's been hard."
This latest victory, coming against the last visiting team to
win at the Meadowlands, showed just how much things have changed
with the Nets in the past 3½ weeks.
Kendall Gill scored 23 points, Kerry Kittles had 21, Marbury had
16 points and 13 assists and Jamie Feick grabbed 17 rebounds in the
Nets' ninth victory in 12 games. Eight of those victories have come
at home, where the Nets haven't lost since Dec. 4 -- a 10-point
defeat to the Knicks that dropped New Jersey's record to an abysmal
2-15.
"I think right now we're at the top our game," Feick said.
"We're playing with confidence and feel we can beat anybody,
especially at home."
The Nets (11-18) gained control in the third quarter despite
playing without Keith Van Horn (flu) and held off the Knicks throughout the fourth to move within one victory of tying the
longest home winning streak in franchise history.
"We can see these teams with the last spot in the playoffs
right now," Gill said. "A couple of weeks ago you couldn't see
them from where we were."
John Wallace had 20 points and Allan Houston 19 for the Knicks,
who were without three key players: Marcus Camby (sprained ankle),
Kurt Thomas (two-game NBA suspension for fighting) and Charlie Ward
(flu).
Latrell Sprewell shot just 4-for-16 and scored only one basket
in the final 43½ minutes, while Patrick Ewing was 3-for-12 and
Houston was 6-for-18.
"We played a lackluster game with no desire to hang in there when the game was right there for us," said Chris Childs, who got a rare start at point guard.
The game stayed tight through the first two quarters, with
Wallace leading all scorers with 14 points at halftime as New
Jersey led 45-44.
The Nets started pulling away late in the third with Marbury on
the bench resting. Scott Burrell hit consecutive jumpers and
Kittles followed with two of his own for a quarter-ending 8-0 run
that put the Nets ahead 70-61 entering the fourth.
The lead grew to 10 on a 3-pointer by Kittles with 9:12 left
that made it 77-67, and the Knicks got no closer than six the rest
of the way.
Childs had two poor plays in the final five minutes, throwing a
bad pass for a turnover with the Knicks down by eight and then
missing a fast-break layup in traffic with another chance to make
it a six-point game.
Kittles then hit another jumper to restore a 10-point lead with 3:50 left.
The Knicks two more chances to make it close, Sprewell rushed a
shot with 58 seconds left and the Knicks trailing 86-80 and, after
a 24-second violation by New Jersey, Houston missed a jumper with
30 seconds left.
"This is a big win, but most of all it's a statement of what we
can do as a team," Kittles said.
Game notes
Van Horn, who had started every game, was sent home from
the arena because of the flu. ... The Nets placed Sherman Douglas
on the injured list with a sore left ankle and activated rookie
center Evan Eschmeyer, who had been out all season with a torn
chest muscle. ... The Nets had lost their previous four games
against the Knicks. ... New Jersey had a nine-game home winning
streak bridging the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons. ... The Nets drew
their second sellout of then season, both against the Knicks. The
Nets have sold out 17 straight games against New York.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
New York Clubhouse
New Jersey Clubhouse
NBA East: Thomas the latest Knicks thug
Knicks' Thomas suspended 2 games, fined $10,000 for fight
RECAPS
Miami 89
Minnesota 78
New Jersey 89
New York 83
Sacramento 114
Boston 101
Toronto 100
Houston 99
Denver 128
LA Clippers 105
Portland 94
Seattle 89
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