Kidd scores Nets' final four field goals
-- EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Jason Kidd won the point guard showdown with Baron Davis somewhat by default.
Kidd |
With the game on the line, Kidd stepped up for the New Jersey Nets and Davis disappeared for the Charlotte Hornets. Kidd hit a go-ahead jumper and scored six of the Nets' final eight points to lead New Jersey to a 99-93 victory over the undermanned Hornets in the opening game of the Eastern Conference semifinal series on Sunday. "I had to be aggressive," Kidd said after finishing with 21 points to lead seven Nets in double figures. "I was riding my teammates for a while. They got us that far, so I knew I had to do something. "I should have gotten a box of popcorn because I was watching everyone else play for so long. I was very lucky that those shots went down." While Kidd was taking the big shots, Davis was passing the ball to open teammates in crunch time, and they weren't hitting. David Wesley and Stacey Augmon each threw up an air ball with the Hornets down 95-91 in the final two minutes. "You have to make plays," said Davis, who did not take a shot in the final 5:45. "I am a little disappointed in myself in that I didn't make as many plays as I should have on the offensive end. On the other hand, we got some open shots that we usually make and missed them." Davis finished with 23 points and a Hornets playoff record seven steals, but he only took four shots in the final quarter of a game that was there for the taking. "They started double-teaming him, but he had the ball in his hands," Hornets coach Paul Silas said. "...He has to be more aggressive."
Big Mac Attack | |||
The Nets entered the second half trailing the Hornets by six points, and then Todd MacCulloch jump-started them. MacCulloch scored 11 points in the third quarter, nearly double his playoff average, and hit five shots in the quarter after making just 10 in his first five playoff games this year. That's a big reason the Mets outscored the Hornets by 10 points in the third and took the lead for good. | |||
3rd qtr. vs. CHA* | '02 playoff averages | ||
Pts. | 11 | 6.2 | |
FG pct. | 83.3 | 51.7 | |
Rebs. | 4 | 5.3 | |
Blk. | 2 | 1.8 | |
*Nets outscored Hornets 32-22 |
Game notes
Charlotte outscored New Jersey 22-19 on the fastbreak, 42-38 in the paint and 19-12 on second chance points. The Hornets only shot 39.1 percent (36-for-92). New Jersey won because it shot 51.4 percent (36-of-70). ... Mashburn, who averaged 24.7 points in three games against the Nets, missed his fourth straight game with lingering effects of virus and vitamin deficiency. His status for Game 2 is uncertain. ... Magliore missed the game, serving a one-game NBA suspension. He is eligible to play on Tuesday. ... Nets backup point guard Anthony Johnson sprained his right thumb in warmups. ... Nets coach Byron Scott on the return of his wife, Anita, who missed the deciding Game 5 in the first round with Indiana: "The A-Team is back." ... The first conference semifinal in New Jersey since 1984 was about 1,000 people shy of a sellout.