RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The injury-plagued New Jersey Nets again
relied on Stephon Marbury and got a lift from rookie Kenyon Martin
for a 102-86 victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday
night.
Marbury followed consecutive 33-point performances against
Charlotte and Chicago with 31 points against Washington.
Martin, who scored a total of 24 points in his first three NBA
games, enjoyed his best game as a pro. He shot 9-for-17 and had
seven rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocked shots.
"He proved that he can play," Marbury said of Martin. "That's
the reason why we picked him No. 1. It's just hard as a rookie
because when you play bad everybody wants to know what happened,
but that happens. Everybody just has to be patient with him."
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“ |
I finally put together a decent game. When I come to play like I did tonight, I think we can beat anybody. ” |
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— Kenyon Martin |
Martin, too, felt like he had arrived.
"I was hyped. I was excited," Martin said. "I finally put together a decent game. When I come to play like I did tonight, I think we can beat anybody. So I just want to bring it every night."
New Jersey's victory overshadowed a career-high 30 points by Washington forward Richard Hamilton, who came off the bench to hit 10 of 23 shots.
"He has the potential to give us a lot of offense when our
starters are not playing well," Wizards coach Leonard Hamilton
said. "He played very good defense and shot well."
Nets reserve forward Aaron Williams, who left Washington as a
free agent during the offseason, had 12 points and nine rebounds.
Rod Strickland had 18 points and six assists for the Wizards, who got 17 points and seven rebounds from Juwan Howard.
"Turnovers," Howard lamented of the Wizards' 24 mistakes that led to 30 of the Nets' points. "A whole lot of turnovers is what hurt us."
Marbury hit consecutive 3-pointers to give the Nets a 68-48 lead with 6:39 left in the third quarter. Strickland scored five points in an 11-0 run to pull the Wizards to 70-59, but they never seriously threatened.
After hitting their first three shots and taking an 8-2 lead,
the Wizards managed only one field goal -- a dunk by Jahidi White --
for the remainder of the first quarter.
"We just got beat by a team that created a lot of offense off
our turnovers," coach Hamilton said. "We are not taking care of
the ball, not concentrating, not delivering the ball properly. And
we are not the kind of team that can afford to turn the ball
over."
Martin opened the second quarter with back-to-back, two-handed
slams that gave the Nets a 34-13 lead.
"That's exactly what we were looking for," Nets coach Byron Scott said. "He came out and established himself very early. He got into the flow of the game, and that's what rookies need to do in this league. If he continues to play like this, we'll be a good team."
Game notes
Tendinitis flared in Kendall Gill's right knee and he did
not play in the second half. ... The Wizards placed forward Ronald
"Popeye" Jones on the injured list and activated center Calvin
Booth. ... With the Indiana Pacers coming to Washington on Friday,
the Wizards will play consecutive home games for the first time
this season. ... Rachel, a member of the Wizards' dance team,
accepted a marriage proposal televised on the Jumbotron during a
timeout in the second quarter.
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NBA Scoreboard
New Jersey Clubhouse
Washington Clubhouse
RECAPS
Indiana 108
Milwaukee 97
Philadelphia 103
Detroit 94
New Jersey 102
Washington 86
Miami 87
Seattle 81
Cleveland 99
New York 97
Charlotte 96
Orlando 90
Vancouver 101
Dallas 74
San Antonio 91
LA Lakers 81
Denver 109
Minnesota 107
Utah 93
LA Clippers 87
Sacramento 115
Golden State 84
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