 Kenyon Martin slams home two of his 18 points against the Cavs. Noren Trotman NBAE/Getty Images 56k | 300k |
With five wins in six games, the Nets are off to their best start since joining the NBA in 1976. They also improved to 4-0 at home and snapped a four-game losing streak to the Cavaliers.
"It wasn't pretty but a win is a win," Nets coach Byron Scott said. "And we will take them any way we can. Our guys seemed a little flat tonight. It was one of those games where whatever we did, I think we gave them confidence because they were playing hard and making shots. They hung right in there with us."
Kidd had just three points on 1-of-6 shooting through three quarters but stepped up when the Nets needed him most. His 3-pointer with 2:17 left erased a 80-78 deficit and put New Jersey on top for good. He added a jumper with 29 seconds to go, pushing the lead to 85-81.
The Cavaliers got within 85-84 on a 3-pointer by Lamond Murray with 14 seconds left, but Kidd made two free throws and Wesley Person missed a potential tying 3-pointer at the horn to seal the win.
"He (Kidd) is definitely bringing his playoffs and late-game experience to this ballclub," Nets guard Kerry Kittles said. "We are young and trying to get what he has experienced before with other teams. He is really stepping up big for us by making big shots and big plays. He is very aggressive late in the game and we need that from him."
"Like we keep saying, it sounds like a broken record," Scott said. "When the game is on the line, he wants the ball. The 3-pointer that he knocked down, free throws and then off one of the plays we drew up (were all crucial)."
Kenyon Martin led the Nets with 18 points and Kittles had 17. Keith Van Horn added 16 as New Jersey continues to win behind a balanced attack.
Chris Mihm scored a career-high 20 points and Murray had 13 of his 21 in the final quarter for the Cavaliers, who fell to 1-6. The Nets took a 71-64 lead into the fourth quarter, but the Cavs scored eight of the first nine points to forge a tie. Murray had the first five points of the quarter.
New Jersey scored six straight points to take a 78-72 lead, the final bucket on a six-footer by MacCulloch. Again Cleveland responded, reeling off eight straight points, the final seven by Murray.
"He was huge," Mihm said. "He was hitting his shots and he kept us in the ballgame. He really stepped up big for us. (He was) one of the main reasons we got the lead in the fourth quarter."
Kidd buried his 3-pointer off a feed from MacCulloch and the Nets' new center added another assist and a block in the final 50 seconds.
"We had a few leads but they just kept chipping away," MacCulloch said. "We started to run our offense a little bit better toward the end of the game. We executed and made shots when we needed to."
New Jersey led 25-21 after a quarter and extended its advantage to 51-41 by halftime as Van Horn had 13 points and Martin 10.
Mihm, who had eight points apiece in the second and third quarters, grabbed eight rebounds and continued to be a presence in the paint with three more blocks.
"I was trying to feel my way through the game, make some good plays and the guys were spotting me," said Mihm, who is among the NBA leaders in blocked shots. "And I was knocking down shots, just really concentrating out there, trying to help the team."
Cleveland point guard Andre Miller finished with 19 points and 14 assists.