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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) ? Keith Van Horn and the New Jersey
Nets learned an important lesson from the New York Knicks.
Van Horn had 23 points and 12 rebounds as the Nets held off a
late rally and beat the Atlanta Hawks 90-84 on Tuesday night.
Van Horn credited the Knicks, who beat New Jersey 95-71 on
Friday, with showing the Nets the importance of defense and
rebounding.
"I think we learned a lot from them," Van Horn said. "We saw
how they played defense from inside out, and how they rebounded as
a team. That's the cornerstone of their team, the cornerstone of
any winning team. I think we've done that the last two games."
Stephon Marbury added 16 points and Johnny Newman finished with
11 for the Nets, who won their second straight.
DerMarr Johnson and Jason Terry each had 13 points, and Dikembe
Mutombo had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Hawks, who lost their
fourth straight.
The Nets opened a 69-47 lead midway through the third period,
but struggled in the fourth, shooting just 4-for-19. The Nets
committed five turnovers and did not score their first field goal
until 8:02 remained when Van Horn hit a 3-pointer.
"A win is a win," said Nets coach Byron Scott said, whose team
beat Philadelphia 96-89 Sunday. "We're going to take as many as we
can get. Obviously, we didn't play with the same intensity as we
did against Philadelphia, but we're going to try and keep it going.
I'm hoping we can put a third win together before the All-Star
break."
Atlanta opted for a small lineup in the fourth quarter, leaving
Mutombo on the bench for the entire period.
"We had a tough time getting anything going," said Atlanta
coach Lon Kruger, whose team committed a season-high 27 turnovers.
"Obviously, the group in there late did a nice job of getting it
back within reach. We can't use being tired as an excuse. A lot of
teams play four games in five days."
The Hawks scored the first six points of the quarter, including
four by Roshown McLeod. Atlanta outscored the Nets 11-6 and closed
within 76-70 on Lorenzen Wright's basket with 5:25 remaining.
But Van Horn converted three straight free throws, one a
technical for illegal defense, and Newman had a three-point play as
the Nets held on for the win.
"We didn't play very well in the fourth quarter but guys
stepped up and made big plays for us when we needed them," Van
Horn said.
The Nets opened the second period with an 18-6 run for a 44-27
lead.
Atlanta countered by scoring eight of the last 10 points in the
first half and closed within 50-39 at the intermission.
Game notes
Nets forward Jamie Feick, who has missed 50 games this year
since undergoing Achilles surgery in October, sat out again and may
not return until after the All-Star break. ... Nets center Evan
Eschmeyer, who missed practice Monday with an intestinal virus, was
in the starting lineup. ... Hawks forward Lorenzen Wright, who missed
Monday's game against Dallas with the flu, also returned to the
starting lineup.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Atlanta Clubhouse
New Jersey Clubhouse
RECAPS
Orlando 109
Charlotte 83
Detroit 94
Denver 83
New Jersey 90
Atlanta 84
Miami 102
Indiana 89
Milwaukee 112
Sacramento 109
Phoenix 97
Chicago 80
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