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Tuesday, Feb. 15 7:30pm ET
Mutombo's triple-double downs Nets | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
ATLANTA (AP) -- Only one blocked shot away from his third career triple-double, Dikembe Mutombo was not ready for a breather midway through the fourth quarter Tuesday night. He successfully lobbied Atlanta coach Lenny Wilkens for extra time and promptly blocked Kendall Gill's layup with 4:27 remaining in the Hawks' 103-86 victory over the New Jersey Nets. "I asked coach if I could go back in," said Mutombo, who had 21 points, 13 rebounds and 11 blocked shots. "I don't know why the New Jersey players kept coming at me. I was a little bit surprised by that." Mutombo, who spent his first five seasons in Denver before coming to Atlanta in 1996, had 10 points, seven rebounds and five blocks in the first half alone. "It's a real accomplishment," said Mutombo, a three-time defensive player of the year. "It was a wonderful game for all of us. What I appreciated most was the intensity." Alan Henderson added 21 points and Jim Jackson 20 for Atlanta, which has won seven of its last 10 games. The Hawks now own a nine-game home winning streak against New Jersey. "We needed to come out and win this game to establish something for the second half of the season," Jackson said. "We're only about five games out of eighth place. You go on a nice winning streak and you never know what happens." Stephon Marbury led the Nets, who lost their ninth straight on the road and have only two wins in their past 10 games, with 27 points. Following a 3-for-14 shooting performance in the first half, Marbury scored 15 points in the third quarter. Marbury's 3-pointer with 1:03 remaining in the third trimmed the Atlanta lead to 68-62, but that was as close as the Nets would get. They did manage to come within four points midway through the third on a layup by Marbury. "We came out flat tonight," Marbury said. "I think in our situation we just have to rebound from this game and get ready for the next one." Following Marbury's 3-pointer, Atlanta went on a 16-3 run that culminated with a 3-pointer by Jackson. New Jersey, which never led, shot only 32.6 percent from the field _ the worst outings coming from Gill, who went 3-for-16, and Scott Burrell, who was 1-for-7. Lucious Harris, with 15 points, was the only other Nets player to score in double figures. Game notesKeith Van Horn, whose wife Amy gave birth Tuesday to a girl -- their third child -- did not make the trip. It marked only the second game Van Horn has missed this season. The Nets' second-leading scorer and rebounder, Van Horn led New Jersey to a 96-88 home win over the Hawks on Dec. 19. ... Mutombo had 16 points, 14 rebounds and nine blocks in a Dec. 23 home win over Cleveland. ... Isaiah Rider's nine points marked his second-lowest scoring total of the season. ... The Nets now enter a tough stretch of their schedule with consecutive games against Miami, Minnesota and the Los Angeles Lakers. ... The Hawks begin their longest road trip of the season, a six-game West Coast swing, when they face Phoenix on Thursday night. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard New Jersey Clubhouse Atlanta Clubhouse RECAPS Charlotte 95 Philadelphia 93
Atlanta 103
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