ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -Jason Kidd almost had a triple-double and made a key defensive stop and the New Jersey Nets overcame a 15-point deficit to defeat the Orlando Magic 96-95 Wednesday night.
Vince Carter had 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Kidd had 10 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Hedo Turkoglu had 23 points for Orlando on 7-for-17 shooting, Carlos Arroyo had 16 points and seven assists, Rashard Lewis scored 14 and Dwight Howard had 13 points and 13 rebounds.
The Nets trailed most of the game, but finally came back in the fourth quarter. Malik Allen hit a couple of jumpers and Kidd fed Richard Jefferson for a reverse layup on a terrific play that even the Orlando crowd admired. The score trimmed Orlando’s lead to 84-80 with 6 minutes left.
Less than a minute later, Kidd hit a long 3 that drew the Nets even closer, and they finally took the lead on Allen’s fast-break jumper 87-86 with 4:32 left.
The teams traded scores down the stretch and Orlando had the last chance. The Magic had two tries to score and regain the lead with less than 30 seconds left, and both times Turkoglu had the opportunity. He missed the first, an off-balance jumper. And with 12.9 seconds left, he lost the ball while driving the lane.
A big key to the Nets rally was veteran guard Darrell Armstrong, still a fan favorite here after playing with Orlando from 1995 to 2003. He had nine of his 13 points in the fourth quarter, including a 3 and a long jumper that put the Nets up 94-93 with 50 seconds left.
Add A Comment