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Okur leads the Jazz past Rockets 82-74
(AP)
Updated: 2005-12-28 13:58
"I have nothing bad to say about Portland at all, even with everything that
happened there. They gave me an opportunity to learn to coach, to learn a lot of
things about basketball, and about myself, and I welcomed the opportunity, and I
look forward to going back there," Cheeks said. "There are a lot of good
memories there."
Nets beat Cavs 96-91 for 7th straight win
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Richard Jefferson scored 28 points in another
outstanding shooting performance, and the New Jersey Nets extended their winning
streak to seven Tuesday night with a 96-91 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Jefferson was 9-of-11 from the field, a night after going 8-for-8 in the
Nets' 109-101 win at New York.
Vince Carter, the Eastern Conference player of the week, was in foul trouble
and played only 30 minutes, scoring 21 points. Jason Kidd had 14 points, nine
rebounds and nine assists, and Nenad Krstic had 13 points.
LeBron James had 31 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, but Cleveland had
its six-game winning streak snapped. Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 21 points, Larry
Hughes had 16 and Eric Snow 10.
The Nets seemed on their way to an easy win until the Cavaliers, led by seven
points from Ilgauskas, went on a 12-0 run to cut the Nets' lead to 89-83.
New Jersey finally scored on a pair of free throws by Carter with 2:22
remaining, and he followed with a basket to give the Nets a 10-point lead.
James and Hughes made 3-pointers in the final minutes to trim the New Jersey
lead to 93-89. Carter made one free throw with 21 seconds left and Snow made a
layup before Kidd closed out the scoring with a pair of free throws.
The Nets overcame a slow start to take a 29-21 lead after one period. James
scored Cleveland's first seven points of the second as the Cavaliers cut the
Nets' lead to 33-28.
New Jersey regained control and closed the half with a 56-41 lead. Jefferson
paced the Nets with 17 points, including a buzzer-beating jumper after James was
called for an 8-second violation with 7.2 seconds remaining.
The Cavaliers opened the third quarter with a 13-4 run, sparked by seven
points from Ilgauskas, while New Jersey missed its first nine shots. Carter
picked up a fourth foul with 8:35 remaining and sat out the remainder of the
quarter.
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