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Monday, Jan. 8 7:30pm ET
300-pound Traylor still a magnet for fouls

RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

CLEVELAND (AP) -- The Tractor hasn't been pulling his weight. He's been throwing it around.

Jim Jackson
New Jersey's Stephen Jackson, bottom, gets a knee in the face from Cleveland's Jim Jackson during a scramble for a loose ball.

Robert "Tractor" Traylor sparked Cleveland in the second half before fouling out and Lamond Murray scored 22 points as the Cavaliers prepared for a trying road trip with a 92-90 victory Monday night over the New Jersey Nets.

"I'm a foul magnet right now," said the beefy Traylor, disqualified in just 16 minutes in his previous game. "But I'm at my best when I'm bouncing around out there, full of energy."

Clarence Weatherspoon had 14 rebounds and Chris Gatling had 15 points in a rare start for the Cavs, who'll begin a six-game West Coast road swing Wednesday at Sacramento.

Cleveland shot just 2-for-17 from the field in the fourth quarter and won for just the second time in 10 games, but not before getting another scare with a player getting hurt.

Murray was nailed by Vladimir Stepania's elbow midway through the fourth quarter and didn't return until 1:30 remained and with the Cavs clinging to a two-point lead. A team spokesman said Murray suffered a bruise near his right eye.

The Cavs already have three players on the injured list and are awaiting word on whether guards Matt Harpring and Wes Person need surgery. When Murray went down in a heap under Cleveland's basket, television cameras caught Cavs general manager Jim Paxson hanging his head in disbelief.

"I was just praying he'd be able to get up and walk," said Weatherspoon. "When he came up holding his head I was like ... OK."

Gatling's free throw with 2.8 seconds left put the Cavs up 92-90, but the Cavs didn't snap a three-game losing streak until Stephon Marbury was short with a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Marbury scored 27 points -- none in the fourth quarter -- and Keith Van Horn added 17 for the Nets.

"I took the shot and missed," said Marbury, who went 0-for-6 in the fourth. "I would have tried to drive it, I would have stepped out of bounds. They (shots) just didn't go in."

Weatherspoon's final rebound was the biggest of the night for Cleveland. He wrestled the ball away from Van Horn on the offensive boards and was fouled with 46 seconds left.

Weatherspoon made a free throw to put the Cavs up 91-88, but rookie Kenyon Martin scored on a putback for the Nets.

Murray missed on Cleveland's next possession, but Van Horn misfired on a 3-pointer and the ball was tipped out of bounds by two New Jersey players.

Gatling was fouled, but made only one of two free throws with 2.8 seconds left, and the Nets called a timeout to set up a final shot.

Marbury took the inbounds pass, and coming off a double screen, had a good look from the left side. But with the 6-foot-7 Weatherspoon rushing him, his shot barely grazed the rim as the horn sounded.

Traylor, in Cleveland coach Randy Wittman's doghouse lately, played with the same intensity he showed early in the season. He scored 10 points -- six down low -- in the final 6:14 of the third quarter when the Cavs opened a 13-point lead.

The 300-pound Traylor will be getting more playing time with centers Zydrunas Ilgauskas and rookie Chris Mihm out with injuries. He added nine rebounds in just 22 minutes before fouling out with 1:48 remaining.

"I've got to stay active," said Traylor. "I have to be ready, no matter the situation. Tonight, I got off to a good start and was confident. I know my role on this team even though it has changed a bit."

Wittman said Traylor's aggressiveness was the difference.

"That's the way Tractor that has to play," Wittman said. "Just like that. He does, and he'll get minutes."

Game notes
Gatling's start was his first of the season and first since May 1, 1999, with Milwaukee. ... New Jersey is 1-20 when trailing after three. ... Van Horn was playing just his second game of the season after recovering from a broken left leg. ... Jim Jackson, playing his third game since coming to Cleveland in a trade, made his 500th career 3-pointer and had 11 points.
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Portland 98
Boston 90

Cleveland 92
New Jersey 90

Miami 88
Golden State 78

Dallas 104
Chicago 91

Indiana 85
LA Clippers 82

Sacramento 100
Minnesota 97

AUDIO/VIDEO
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 Stephon Marbury drives the lane and scores off the glass.
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