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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
ATLANTA (AP) -- Keith Van Horn got things started for the New
Jersey Nets. Johnny Newman finished it up.
Van Horn scored 24 points, mostly in the first quarter, and
Newman had 10 of his 19 in the final period as the New broke a
four-game losing streak, 84-78 over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday.
"I've been doing this for 14 years," said the 37-year-old
Newman, who came off the bench to play 26 minutes. "I never have a
doubt about making shots."
He got New Jersey off to a good start in the fourth quarter by
stealing a pass from Brevin Knight, then converting a three-point
play after getting fouled by Knight on a short jumper.
"Johnny had a great game," said New Jersey coach Byron Scott.
"He came in and really did a great job of giving us some added
punch."
Van Horn, playing his sixth game since recovering from a broken
leg, kept New Jersey alive in the early going, scoring 15 of his
team's first 17 points.
"Since I've been back, my conditioning hasn't been there," he
said. "I tried to stay really aggressive in the first quarter,
which paid off and got us off to a fairly good start."
The Hawks had won three of their previous four games, while the
Nets came in staggering from a 115-81 rout by the Bucks on
Saturday.
Jason Terry, who had 32 points, hit a 3-pointer with 3:23
remaining for Atlanta's first basket of the final period.
Van Horn responded by making a 3-pointer of his own, giving New
Jersey a comfortable 80-69 lead. Overall, the Hawks managed just 17
points in the fourth, shooting 3-of-17 from the field with five
turnovers.
"We hate to lose this type of game," Atlanta's Lorenzen Wright
said. "I don't think we were mentally prepared."
Atlanta led by 10 points in the second quarter and was still up
56-48 after Dikembe Mutombo dunked with 4:58 remaining in the
third.
But the Nets, coming off their worst loss of the season at
Milwaukee, allowed just five points the rest of the period and went
ahead for good at 62-61 when Kenyon Martin tipped in a miss with
13.3 seconds to go.
"Everything was working for us in the first half," Wright
said. "We probably figured the second half would be just as easy
as the first half. But they came out a lot more aggressively."
New Jersey scored the first eight points of the final quarter
before Terry made a free throw after taking a breakaway foul. But
the Hawks, despite a 49-39 advantage on the boards, couldn't find
the basket until it was too late.
Atlanta hit a couple of meaningless shots, including Terry's
3-pointer just before the buzzer. But 22 turnovers led to 30 points
for the Nets, who lost the ball just 11 times.
"I don't think we did a good job of fighting to catch the ball
where we wanted it," Matt Maloney said.
Mutombo grabbed 22 rebounds, and he was the only other Atlanta
player in double figures with 11 points.
Game notes
The Nets won despite shooting just 37 percent (31-of-84).
... New Jersey managed to grab 10 offensive rebounds. ... Knight,
Atlanta's new point guard, had a miserable game: eight points, two
assists and five turnovers. He fouled out with more than five
minutes remaining. ... Stephon Marbury had just 14 points on
4-of-17 shooting. ... The Nets have won twice at Philips Arena in
the past month, while the Hawks won at New Jersey on Dec. 26. ...
Wright dislocated the ring finger on his right hand but doesn't
expect to miss the next game, Thursday at Indiana.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
New Jersey Clubhouse
Atlanta Clubhouse
RECAPS
New York 104
San Antonio 82
Milwaukee 101
Washington 95
Philadelphia 84
Charlotte 79
New Jersey 84
Atlanta 78
Sacramento 116
Dallas 105
Boston 107
Minnesota 102
Cleveland 107
Golden State 101
Indiana 89
LA Clippers 74
Orlando 113
Chicago 104
LA Lakers 113
Vancouver 112
Denver 122
Seattle 111
Utah 116
Houston 104
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