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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- After three straight heartbreaking
losses, the New Jersey Nets used a rare defensive stand and one
last rebound by Jamie Feick on a career-best night to get back on track.
|  | | Stephon Marbury flattened the Pistons with 34 points and 15 assists. |
Stephon Marbury had 34 points and a season-high 15 assists and
Feick grabbed a career-high 25 rebounds as the New Jersey Nets blew
a 17-point lead before beating the Detroit Pistons 122-120 in
wide-open game on Thursday night.
Keith Van Horn added 28 points before fouling out late and Scott
Burrell hit a go-ahead drive across the lane with 48.4 seconds to
play as the Nets ended a three-game losing streak and handed the
Pistons their second straight loss.
"The odds were we had to win one of these," Nets forward Kendall Gill said after ending a streak in which the team lost
three games by nine points. "This one was really important because
we're getting ready to go on the road. The good thing was we had a
lot of people hit big shots when it was their turn."
The Nets' win wasn't sealed until Lindsey Hunter missed a 16-foot jumper just before the buzzer and Feick got his final
rebound. The shot was somewhat questionable since Christian
Laettner (28 points), Jerry Stackhouse (28) and Grant Hill (23)
were all on the floor and Hunter (12 points) didn't seem to be the
obvious shooting choice.
"They took us out of what we wanted to do," Hill said. "We
wanted to get the ball to me on the side and they double-teamed."
Stackhouse was the next option but Feick double-teamed him as he dribbled around the top of the key. Stackhouse was forced to handoff to Hunter. He bobbled the pass and then missed the shot, which never looked good.
"We had a good look at the end," Hill said. "Lindsey had an
elbow jump shot going to his left, which he likes to do. It didn't
go in."
The final 6:21 featured 12 lead changes and seven ties. The
Pistons, who trailed by 17 late in the third quarter, took their
first lead since the first quarter, 103-102 on two free throws by
Laettner.
The Pistons eventually took their last lead at 118-117 on two
free throws by Stackhouse, who had 14 points in the final quarter.
Burrell then drove across the lane to give New Jersey a 119-118
lead. After Hunter missed a questionable 3-point attempt, Marbury,
who hit two 30-foot 3-pointers in the game, drove for an
off-balance layup and a 121-118 lead with 19 seconds to go.
Hill scored underneath with 10 seconds left to cut the lead to
121-120. After three timeouts, the Nets inbounded the ball and Johnny Newman was fouled. He hit his second shot, but Hunter missed
his game-tying attempt.
"You can't spot a team like New Jersey 14 points at halftime
and expect to win," Hill said. "They played well and deserved to
win. If we stole the game, we would not have deserved to have
won."
Murbury, who hit 13 of 23 from the field, liked what he saw down
the stretch.
"We had a different sense of urgency tonight," he said. "We
were more in tune with what we were doing. That's not to say we
weren't in tune the last three games but tonight we just buckled
down and we held our own."
Trailing 89-72 with 3:59 left in the third quarter after Marbury
hit his second 3-pointer from about 30 feet, the Pistons closed the
period with a 17-4 run.
Van Horn helped stake the Nets to their biggest lead by scoring
nine points in a 20-9 first-quarter spurt that gave New Jersey a
35-26 lead. The Pistons managed to close the gap to six late in the
second quarter before Marbury went wild, hitting three jumpers in a
late 12-4 run that ended with him hitting a 30-to-35 footer at the
buzzer for a 66-52 halftime lead.
Game notes
Feick's 13 rebounds in the first quarter were an NBA high
for a quarter this season, one better than Kevin Garnett of Minnesota and Jerome Williams of Detroit. He was one shy of the
Nets record for a regulation game and two shy of the team record of
27 set by Buck Williams in a 4 OT game. ... Marbury has scored in
double figures in 52 straight. ... Newman and backup center Jim McIlvaine were both dazed in third-quarter collisions with Hill.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Detroit Clubhouse
New Jersey Clubhouse
RECAPS
Charlotte 109
Philadelphia 100
New Jersey 122
Detroit 120
Seattle 104
Milwaukee 96
Houston 122
Denver 115
Utah 94
Vancouver 89
Sacramento 111
Orlando 103
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