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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- A 28-point lead in the second half wasn't quite
enough for Milwaukee.
|  | | Ray Allen celebrates after making a jumper at the buzzer Thursday night. |
The Bucks wasted all of it before beating the New Jersey Nets
80-78 Thursday night on Ray Allen's shot at the buzzer.
"Our mental toughness and our leadership in the second half was
disgusting and disgraceful," Bucks coach George Karl said. "I'm
embarrassed by it."
Karl said he deserved to be disciplined by Buck owner Herb Kohl.
"Sen. Kohl should fine my (butt) for coaching," Karl said.
The Nets overcame a 57-29 deficit with 10:50 left in the third
quarter and tied it on Stephon Marbury's 3-pointer with 5.6 seconds
left.
"I put Stephon back in because he has a knack for hitting big
shots in clutch situations," Nets coach Byron Scott said. "He
came in and did exactly what he's capable of."
After a timeout, the Bucks inbounded the ball to Allen at the
top of the key. He faked, drifted right and hit the winning shot.
"Ray hit a big shot over me," Harris said. "I was right there
with a hand in his face. I don't think I could have guarded him any
better than I did on that play."
New Jersey made only one field goal in a 17½-minute span
extending from late in the first quarter to early in the third. The
Nets made just 6 of 35 field goals in the first half (17.1 percent)
as Stephon Marbury, Kenyon Martin and Kendall Gill were a combined
3 of 21 and 6-foot-11 Evan Eschmeyer clanked an open dunk.
"I think in the first half we were just awful," Scott said.
"We couldn't knock anything down and we couldn't defend."
The Bucks took a 70-47 advantage into the fourth quarter. But
the Nets rallied behind substitutes Lucious Harris, Stephen Jackson
and Vladimir Stepania. Stepania's basket with 1:49 remaining tied
it at 74.
Sam Cassell's jumper in the lane put the Bucks up 76-74, but
Milwaukee then missed two of four free throws. After Milwaukee's
Tim Thomas hit a free throw with 11.3 seconds left, Marbury took a
pass on the right wing and hit the tying basket.
Allen and Thomas led the Bucks with 16 points each.
Marbury and Harris each had 12 points for the Nets, who have
lost three straight and dropped to 9-17.
The Nets, who entered 28th of 29 NBA teams in field-goal
shooting at 41.2 percent, were 6-of-35 (17 percent) in the first
half. Marbury started the game 1-for-9, and Martin and Gill each
opened 1-for-6.
Marbury followed up Eschmeyer's missed dunk with a layup at the
4:49 mark of the second quarter for the Nets' only basket in a span
of 17{ minutes.
Game
notes
Allen played in his 321st consecutive game Thursday. He is
seven short of the team record set by Lee Mayberry from 1992-96.
Allen has started 309 games in a row. ... Milwaukee had made 130 of
its last 143 free throws (90.9 percent) coming in.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
New Jersey Clubhouse
Milwaukee Clubhouse
RECAPS
Orlando 99
Chicago 88
Milwaukee 80
New Jersey 78
Boston 92
New York 86
LA Lakers 99
Houston 94
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
George Karl Official Site
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