In the middle of a rally, Martin was ejected with 2:57 remaining for hammering Orlando Magic All-Star swingman Tracy McGrady in a 109-96 defeat.
The Nets trailed 98-92 when Martin clotheslined McGrady as he was attempting a layup. McGrady retaliated with a shove and Martin threw a punch, resulting in ejections for both players.
As McGrady was leaving the court, he had to be restrained by assistant coach Johnny Davis.
 Mike Miller put up 18 points in Jersey, and is certainly not suffering from the Sophomore Slump. Noren Trotman /NBAE/Getty Images |
Martin, the top overall pick in the 2000 draft, is no stranger to these type of incidents this season. Against Utah on December 22, he was involved in a similar incident against Karl Malone that resulted in a one-game suspension.
Both participants declined comment after the game. But both coaches offered differing viewpoints.
"Tracy didn't do anything," Orlando coach Doc Rivers said. "He was the victim. He was not the criminal. There was no head-butt (by Tracy) that we saw on the film. It was a dirty play."
Rivers stopped short of labeling Martin as a dirty player.
"What Kenyon Martin thought was, `I got to foul him. If I can foul, get him out of the game, too, that's a great trade for us (the Nets). Kenyon is not a dirty player. He's a guy like Tracy that plays with a lot of passion."
Nets coach Byron Scott maintained that he saw the foul but was unsure of what exactly transpired.
"I saw Kenyon foul him," Scott said. "I thought it was a hard foul and I saw McGrady get up and go after him. After that, I really didn't see too much. I just ran and grabbed Kenyon. I thought both guys threw a punch. I thought McGrady tried to throw a punch and Kenyon retaliated.
"The referee made the right call and both guys got thrown out. We will go from there."
McGrady had few problems against Martin as he finished with 35 points on 11-of-25 shooting. His 3-pointer from the top of the key with 3:55 left in the third period tied the game, 70-70, and sparked a 12-2 run to close the quarter.
After McGrady's 3-pointer, Pat Garrity scored seven consecutive points. He made a jumper, 3-pointer and a tip-in to put Orlando up, 77-72.
Just as in Wednesday's 94-72 win over Memphis, the opponent took advantage of the Nets when point guard Jason Kidd was on the bench. Kidd came out six seconds after missing a 3-pointer with 2:53 left in the third period. His replacement was Lucious Harris, who committed two turnovers and a technical foul.
When Kidd came back at the 10:23 mark for Kerry Kittles, the Nets trailed, 84-72. But Kidd, who finished with 24 points and five assists, missed two of his first three shots.
"They played hard from the tip," Kidd said. "We have to understand that and we get them next week at their place. We can't come in lackadaisical. In the second half, we had a five-point lead and we just gave into emotion, instead of coming out and executing and trying to keep them down."