LOS ANGELES, 26 February 2004 — The New Jersey Nets are the hottest team in the NBA but Lawrence Frank remains cool about his record-setting coaching run. Kenyon Martin had 25 points and 15 rebounds as the host Nets held off the injury-depleted Toronto Raptors, 86-74 on Tuesday for their NBA season-high 14th consecutive victory.
“It’s a disease, no one wants to lose,” said Nets floor leader Jason Kidd, who had 17 points and seven assists. “If you go in with that mindset, you have that advantage. You gain a lot of confidence from winning.
“It’s the best deodorant, the best medicine. We want to go out and win every game. It starts with playing hard, and that’s what we’ve done.”
Kerry Kittles had 15 points, and Rodney Rogers added 12 off the bench for two-time defending Eastern Conference champion New Jersey, which hasn’t lost since Jan. 23 at Miami. Though the Nets continue to roll, Frank is clearly the story. Since replacing fired head coach Byron Scott on Jan. 26, the boyish 33-year-old year-old with no coaching experience on any level improved to 13-0 to set a record for coaching debuts in the four major North American sports. He just smiled and shrugged his shoulders when asked about the milestone.
“He’s the hardest working coach I’ve ever played for,” Nets center Jason Collins said. “He just goes out there does a great job with preparation and getting us to succeed. We’re just carrying out the game plan.”
The Nets carried a 73-57 cushion entering the fourth quarter when Frank decided to rest his starters. The Raptors went on an 11-0 to close within five with 8:34 remaining.
Frank re-inserted his regulars and they responded. Kittles scored five points, including a 3-pointer, and Kidd added a pair of baskets in a 13-3 game-breaking run to seal the victory.
Roger Mason Jr. scored a career-best 18 points for Toronto, which lost its sixth in a row without injured stars Vince Carter (sprained left ankle) and Jalen Rose (broken hand) and Alvin Williams (sore knee).
Elsewhere
Minnesota 108, Milwaukee 102
Sam Cassell scored 29 points, including 15 of his team’s final 17, leading the visiting Timberwolves past the Bucks for the 10th consecutive time. Latrell Sprewell added 23 points for Minnesota while Kevin Garnett finished with 16 points and 18 rebounds. Michael Redd and Keith Van Horn led Milwaukee with 25 points apiece.
Indiana 107, Golden State 96
Jermaine O’Neal scored a season-high 34 points to lead the host Pacers to their league-leading 42nd win of the season. Erick Dampier paced Golden State with 22 points and 12 rebounds.
San Antonio 86, Houston 77
Tim Duncan had 27 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks while Manu Ginobili added 21 points as the Spurs won for the eighth time in the last nine games. Yao Ming led Houston with 20 points.
Dallas 116, L.A. Clippers 91
Antoine Walker scored 21 points and Michael Finley had 20 to help the Mavericks beat the visiting Clippers for the first time this season in three tries in the wire-to-wire win. Dirk Nowitzki had 16 points, nine rebounds and a career-high five blocks as Dallas improved to 25-4 at home. Corey Maggette’s 21 points paced Los Angeles, which has dropped six of its last eight.
Utah 99, Seattle 86
Andrei Kirilenko had 27 points and 10 rebounds, and Raja Bell scored 13 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Jazz stop a four-game home losing skid. Ray Allen had 26 points for Seattle, which was outscored 26-10 in the fourth quarter.
Sacramento 107, New York 99
Mike Bibby scored 28 points and Peja Stojakovic added 27 to lead the Kings to their seventh victory in eight games. Rookie Darius Songaila had career-highs of 17 points and 13 rebounds as host Sacramento improved its league-best mark to 41-14. Tim Thomas scored a season-high 33 points in New York’s fifth loss in the last six games.
Portland 94, Orlando 91 (OT)
Zach Randolph had 24 points and 12 rebounds, and Derek Anderson scored 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the visiting Trail Blazers extended their winning streak to a season-high five. Tracy McGrady led the Magic with 31 points.
Atlanta 86, Philadelphia 75
Stephen Jackson scored 24 points and Chris Crawford added 19 as the host Hawks broke a three-game losing streak. Eric Snow had 17 points in short-handed Philadelphia’s third straight defeat. Leading scorer Allen Iverson remained sidelined with a sore right shoulder and Kenny Thomas sat out with a sprained right thumb.
