RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

MILWAUKEE (AP) _ The Milwaukee Bucks have lost their confidence. The New Jersey Nets are finding theirs.

That was the simple explanation Friday night for the Nets' 108-80 whipping of the Bucks.

"I think we're playing good basketball right now, we're competing hard," said Keith Van Horn, who had 14 points and nine rebounds to help the Nets (26-36) win their second straight game. "I think it was that we wanted it more right from the start. We came out with a lot more fire."

The Bucks continued their post All-Star slump. Despite 19 points from Tim Thomas and 16 from from Ray Allen, the Bucks lost for the 12th time in 15 games and fell four games under .500 (29-33) for the first time this season and first time in George Karl's two seasons as coach.

Milwaukee also fell out of a tie with idle Orlando for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

The usually fiery Karl, who took a long time to get to the media room, was unexpectedly low-key about his team's miserable slide in the standings.

"We have to find some ways to win basketball games. We've lost a lot of confidence. We're not very good offensively and we're not very good defensively. When that happens, disaster," said Karl, who refused to criticize his team. "We have to find a way to win some games. It's not pointing fingers, making blame, and talking about it."

The Nets, who are trying to keep their own dim playoff hopes alive, showed their desire with runs at the start of the first three quarters .

Unlike Karl, Nets Coach Don Casey has a team that is improving after a poor start.

"They're playing very well, they're playing hard," Casey said. "This is a good tough group. This is a super group of athletes who like to play the game of baskeball."

But the lackluster Bucks seem to be almost afraid to take the floor, including All-Star guard Allen.

"A couple of weeks ago, it was just a bad stretch," he said, "but now we have no confidence. It's hard to go out there right now."

For the Nets, it was a win in which a lot of players contributed. Although Kerry Kittles had 16 points and Kendall Gill 15, reserve Scott Burrell, with 19 points, was just one of the bench players who took it to the Bucks.

"We played a 48 minute game today," Burrell said. "We played tough."

The Bucks finally got on the board first in the final period on Allen's basket, but that served only to narrow the Nets' lead to 82-64. New Jersey responded with a 3-pointer by Burrell and Milwaukee was finished.

The Nets opened the third quarter with an 8-0 run, upping the lead to 67-41 on a basket by Gill with 10:24 left. New Jersey led 82-62 after three quarters.

Stephon Marbury put up the first six points of the second quarter to extend the Nets' advantage to 34-23 and New Jersey was ahead 59-41 at the half.

New Jersey netted the game's first four points and led 28-23 after one period as Kittles scored 11 points and Gill eight.

Notes: Milwaukee faced four former Bucks _ Sherman Douglas, Jamie Feick, Johnny Newman, and Eliot Perry. ... Allen's two free throws with 38.2 seconds left in the second quarter gave him 1,000 for his career.