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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) – Maybe it was the weather, maybe it
was the small crowd. Whatever the reason, the New Jersey Nets were
uninspired.
|  | | The Bucks' Lindsey Hunter, right, gets fouled by Keith Van Horn in the second quarter Monday. |
Ray Allen had 23 points and Sam Cassell scored 14 of his 20
points in the fourth quarter as the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the
New Jersey Nets 107-100 Monday night.
A snowstorm in the New York area kept the crowd to 3,216. During
the first quarter, the Nets announced they could sit wherever they
liked.
The Bucks, with the second-best record in the Eastern
Conference, blew a 17-point first-half lead but then scored the
last six points of the third period and six of the first seven in
the fourth to open an 83-75 lead. New Jersey never got closer than
five after that.
"I'm pretty disappointed in our effort in the first half,"
said Nets coach Byron Scott. "I didn't seen any guys with energy
out there except Kenyon Martin. We finally responded in the third
quarter, but you can't get down to a team as good as that because
it will come back and bite you."
Bucks coach George Karl thought his team, which swept its
four-game season series with the Nets, played a very inconsistent
game. But he was glad to start a five-game road trip with a
victory.
"There were times when we played great basketball and times
where we missed shots and didn't play defense," said Karl. "Then
in the fourth quarter we responded well.
"New Jersey has beaten some good teams here. I'm just glad we
kept control of the game for most of the night."
Rookie Kenyon Martin led the Nets with a triple-double of 18
points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists. Stephon Marbury had 18 of his
20 points in the second half and Lucious Harris added 17.
Glenn Robinson scored 18 for the Bucks.
Lindsey Hunter opened the fourth period with a jumper. After
Martin hit a free throw, Tim Thomas hit two foul shots and Allen
added a turnaround from the baseline to put the Bucks in control.
"A lot of ugly basketball was being played," said Allen.
"This was one of those games we were lucky to have won. We were
clearly better, we clearly played a better game.
"I think we knocked the life out of them early, but they came back in the third quarter and kind of shocked us," Allen said. "The fourth quarter was all about defense, it came down to us
stopping their go-to guys."
The Nets scored the first seven points of the game but Milwaukee
reeled off the next 10 and led throughout the first half.
The Bucks took a 58-41 lead at halftime on Darvin Ham's 3-point
basket from the just beyond the halfcourt stripe.
Game notes
The game marked the start of a five-game road trip for the
Bucks. Their previous longest this season was three. ... Forward
Tim Thomas, a Paterson, N.J. native, returned to the Bucks' lineup
after missing the two previous games with back spasms. ... Nets
backup center Jamie Feick missed his sixth straight game with a
sore left Achilles' tendon. ... Martin is the first Nets' rookie to
ever register a triple-double.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Milwaukee Clubhouse
New Jersey Clubhouse
RECAPS
Utah 109
Atlanta 102
Miami 87
Detroit 84
Milwaukee 107
New Jersey 100
Orlando 95
Dallas 81
San Antonio 91
Vancouver 77
LA Clippers 99
Denver 86
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