NEW YORK, 31 January 2004 — Jason Kidd narrowly missed a triple-double, chalking up 33 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists to inspire the New Jersey Nets to an 89-79 triumph over the host Orlando Magic Thursday.
Interim coach Lawrence Frank grabbed his second victory in as many games since replacing Byron Scott Monday.
Kidd, whose double-double was his 24th of the season, had 20 points by halftime. He received plenty of support from 18-point Kenyon Martin as the Nets claimed their third win in a row. Richard Jefferson added 13 points for the Nets while Lucious Harris chipped in with 12, all coming in the fourth quarter.
Tracy McGrady led the Magic with 22 points but shot only 6-for-20 from the floor. He also had six rebounds and four assists. Keith Bogans notched 13 points and Rod Strickland 12 for Orlando. Drew Gooden contributed 10 points and eight rebounds.
In Atlanta, Zach Randolph picked up 22 points and 12 rebounds to guide the Portland Trail Blazers to a 93-85 victory over the Hawks.
After starting the season with two wins in 18 road games, the Trail Blazers have reeled off four straight victories away from home. Rasheed Wallace scored 20 points for Portland, including 13 in the third quarter. Darius Miles added 16 points for the Blazers.
Stephen Jackson led Atlanta with 15 points but it was not enough to stop his team losing for the third time in four games. Atlanta’s leading scorer Shareef Abdur-Rahim had an off-night, totaling 13 points and seven rebounds.
In San Antonio, 22 points from Peja Stojakovic led a balanced Sacramento attack as the Kings edged the Spurs 96-91 in a battle of Western Conference heavyweights.
Internet Voters Help China’s Yao Edge Shaq as All-Star Center
China’s Yao Ming overtook Shaquille O’Neal in the final balloting and will be the starting center for the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association All-Star Game for the second straight year.
The popularity of the 7ft 5in Yao has been proven in All-Star fan balloting over the last two years as he has received more votes than the sport’s biggest star, relegating O’Neal to reserve status in the league’s mid-season showcase.
After the third returns were announced earlier this month, Yao trailed O’Neal by roughly 26,000 votes.
But the second-year center of the Houston Rockets may have benefited from an Internet voting which opens the balloting to more than a billion people in Yao’s native China.
Statistically, it should have been no contest. Despite his injury, O’Neal remains one of the most dominant players in the game, averaging 19.6 points and 11.3 rebounds for the Los Angeles Lakers. Yao is averaging 16.3 points and 9.3 rebounds.
Yao received 1,484,531 votes. O’Neal collected 1,453,286 but should make his eighth All-Star appearance — and come off the bench in his hometown.
The 53rd All-Star Game is Feb. 15 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. It will feature the same 10 elected starters as last year’s game. The leading vote-getter again was Toronto Raptors swingman Vince Carter, who received 2,127,183 votes and will start at forward for the Eastern Conference.
It is the fourth straight time Carter has been the league’s top vote-getter. This year, he outpolled Detroit Pistons center Ben Wallace by nearly 150,000 votes.
Michael Jordan and Julius Erving are the only others to receive the most votes at least three times.
Joining Carter and Wallace in the Eastern Conference frontcourt is Indiana Pacers forward Jermaine O’Neal.
The backcourt features Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76ers and Tracy McGrady of the Orlando Magic.
The other Western Conference starters are guards Kobe Bryant of the Lakers and Steve Francis of the Rockets and forwards Kevin Garnett of the Minnesota Timberwolves and two-time NBA MVP Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs.
