EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey, 16 November 2003 — The New Jersey Nets moved closer to .500 at home with an 85-80 win over the nearby New York Knicks in NBA play on Friday.
After a disappointing start to the season, the Nets, who went 33-8 at Continental Airlines Arena last season, are now 2-3 at home this campaign.
Kenyon Martin paced the hosts with 21 points and 10 rebounds, with Jason Kidd adding 19 points — 11 in the final period — while dishing out 10 assists.
Allan Houston kept the Knicks close with 31 points.
76ers 100 Spurs 96
At Philadelphia, 2001 MVP Allen Iverson struck for 36 points while dishing out 12 assists as the 76ers edged the defending NBA champions San Antonio Spurs 100-96. Reigning MVP Tim Duncan almost matched Iverson point-for-point, winding up with 35 on 14-of-27 shooting.
Celtics 91 Cavaliers 82
At Boston, Paul Pierce poured in 19 points as the Celtics defeated Cleveland 91-82, sending the Cavaliers to their seventh loss in nine games and 27th straight on the road dating back to last season.
Pacers 101 SuperSonics 78
At Indianapolis, six Pacers finished in double figures as Indiana crushed the Seattle SuperSonics 101-78. Jeff Foster led all scorers with a career-high 19 points as well as 12 rebounds.
Heat 105 Wizards 101 (OT)
At Miami, Eddie Jones notched 27 points and Lamar Odom added 26 — and 12 rebounds — as the Heat outlasted the Washington Wizards 105-101 in overtime.
Jones hit four of his 11 three-point shots to become the 24th player in NBA history with 1,000 three-pointers in his career.
Jazz 85 Timberwolves 77
At Minneapolis, Carlos Arroyo poured in a career-best 30 points to carry the Utah Jazz to an 85-77 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Kevin Garnett had 23 points and 14 rebounds to pace the T-Wolves, who are just 2-3 at home.
Rockets 90 Suns 85
At Houston, Steve Francis notched 26 points and Yao Ming added 21 — and 14 rebounds — as the Rockets beat the Phoenix Suns 90-85. Stephon Marbury paced the Suns with 33 points, picking up 22 of them before the break.
Kings 94 Raptors 64
At Sacramento, the Kings held the Raptors to just 28 second-half points in a 94-64 rout of Toronto. Peja Stojakovic paced the Kings with 17 points, with Vince Carter notching a mere 13 to top Toronto, which is averaging only 76 points per outing.
Lakers 94 Pistons 89
At Los Angeles, the Lakers were pushed all the way by the Detroit Pistons, finally prevailing 94-89. Shaquille O’Neal and Gary Payton each notched 21 points to top L.A. scorers, with O’Neal also grabbing 15 rebounds and dishing out eight assists.
Nuggets 106 Magic 101
At Denver, Tracy McGrady’s 51 points were not enough to prevent the Magic from losing their eighth straight game, 106-101 to the Nuggets. McGrady was 20-of-30 from the floor, going 3-for-3 from three-point range.
Both Andre Miller and Earl Boykins wound up with 27 points to pace Denver.
Clippers 104 Warriors 98
At Oakland, Chris Wilcox potted 21 points and grabbed nine boards to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to an upset 104-98 win over the Golden State Warriors.
Six Warriors were in double figures, with Brian Cardinal notching the most with 24 points.
