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Saturday, Jan. 6 7:30pm ET
Van Horn plays 24 solid minutes

RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- It was a perfect return for Keith Van Horn and the New Jersey Nets, and a very bad exit for Dave Cowens and his Golden State Warriors.

Keith Van Horn
Keith Van Horn made 8 of 16 shots in 24 minutes of action before fouling out Saturday in his return from a broken leg.

Van Horn scored 19 points in his first game since breaking his left leg in October and the Nets defeated Golden State 97-92 on Saturday night, taking over after Cowens was ejected late in the third quarter.

"I feel great, that's the best way to describe it," Van Horn said after hitting 8 of 16 shots in 24 minutes before fouling out. "To come back and help your team, which has been struggling, win, makes it all worth while."

Kenyon Martin had 12 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and Stephon Marbury, who sat when the Nets took control, added 22.

Marc Jackson had 29 points and Antawn Jamison added 27 and 15 rebounds for the Warriors, who dressed only nine players because of injuries.

Van Horn looked smooth playing for the first time since breaking his leg in a preseason game against Orlando on Oct. 17.

"I was surprised how well he played," Nets guard Kendall Gill said. "He looked like his old self. He gave us a real lift. When he walked on the court, the whole team felt more confident."

There was a momentary concern with 3:26 left in the fourth quarter when he appeared in pain and asked out of the game.

"The only time it hurt was when I came down and tried to push off," Van Horn said. "But the pain subsided and I went right back in."

Cowens didn't have the same opportunity after being hit with two quick technical fouls by official George Toliver with the teams coming out of a timeout with 1:09 left in the third quarter.

Cowens had no idea why Toliver called the first technical.

"I was talking to my coach about the game," Cowens said. "Totally uncalled for. I wasn't talking to him. I wasn't even contesting anything. I was talking to my coach about the game."

Golden State, which was playing its second game in as many nights, led 67-63 when Cowens was ejected. But the Warriors went into a funk after the ejection and never recovered in seeing its third-game road winning streak end.

"It kind of affected us a little bit," Warriors point guard Mookie Blaylock said. "It threw us off a little bit, where we questioned what we were going to do. I think overall we didn't come out and finish the ballgame."

Larry Hughes hit a floater in the lane to give Golden State a 73-72 lead 9:52 to go, but the Nets went on an 11-2 spurt with Martin, the top pick in the draft, scoring nine for an 83-75 edge with 6:09 to play.

"Having Keith in there takes a lot of pressure off of Kenyon," Marbury said. "He doesn't have to be a post-up offensive player. He can be an energy player and go after loose balls and rebounds."

Golden State nibbled at the deficit over the next five-plus minutes and got within 93-90 on a layup by Jamison with 33.5 seconds to go.

Marbury then hit four straight free throws to wrap up the game.

Van Horn entered the game with 4:25 left in the first quarter with the Nets trailing 23-14. It didn't take him long to get going. He scored underneath and hit a 3-pointer in less than 90 seconds and he finished with eight points in his initial six-minute stint.

Game notes
Warriors rookie Chris Porter was sent home after spraining his left ankle on Friday. Adam Keefe replaced him in the starting lineup. ... Nets backup center Jim McIlvaine (back) dressed for the first time in four games. ... The win was the Nets third in their last 11 games and it ended a four-game losing streak at home ... It marked the first time in six games the Warriors scored fewer than 100 points. ... New Jersey has won five straight against Golden State, dating to the 1997-98 season.
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RECAPS
Dallas 103
Washington 85

Atlanta 83
Orlando 82

Philadelphia 107
Cleveland 103

Miami 112
Boston 86

New Jersey 97
Golden State 92

Utah 99
Houston 97

San Antonio 108
Detroit 101

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