Nets cast 98-82 spell on Magic
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-03-14 10:53

Vince Carter scored 33 points and Jacque Vaughn added 22 to help the New Jersey Nets beat the Orlando Magic 98-92 on Sunday night.

New Jersey Nets guard Vince Carter (15) drives down court around New Orleans Hornets guard Dan Dickau (2) during the first half in New Orleans, Wednesday, March 9, 2005. [AP]

The Nets took advantage of sloppy ballhandling by the Magic in the second half to win for just the second time in six games. Jason Kidd added 14 points and 10 assists for New Jersey, which shot 58 percent (21-of-36) in the final two periods.

Grant Hill, who missed the three previous games because of a shin injury, and Hedo Turkoglu had 23 points apiece for the Magic. Jameer Nelson added 13 points as Orlando lost for the fourth straight time.

Leading by just two at halftime, the Nets outscored Orlando 34-14 in the third period to blow open the game. The Magic turned the ball over 10 times in the period, igniting the New Jersey running game that had been dormant. The Nets got 17 fast-break points in the period after getting only two in the first half.

The first period was an unlikely shootout between opposing point guards while both teams tried to find some offensive rhythm. Vaughn had 10 of his team's 21 and Jameer Nelson had nine of the Magic's 21, but nothing came easily.

New Jersey shot only 38 percent (14-of-37) in the first half, but still managed a 43-41 lead as Carter warmed up with 12 second-quarter points.

He added 11 more in the third period when New Jersey shot 65 percent and built its lead to 24 points.

The only sign of life for the Magic in the second half came when Steve Francis was ejected for a run-in with New Jersey center Nenad Krstic. Francis was 3-of-15 from the field, and finished with 11 points and 10 assists.

Notes:@ Magic rookie Dwight Howard, who averaged 15 points and 14.2 rebounds in his previous six games, had only two points and eight rebounds against the Nets. ... Howard picked up the first technical of his pro career when he got in a shoving match with Krstic in the second quarter. ... The Nets had lost four of their five previous games by an average of 20.3 points. ... Orlando takes a four-game losing streak on a five-game West Coast trip that begins Tuesday night in Sacramento.

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