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Balanced Warriors attack sinks Nets

Nov 2, 2008 - 3:01 AM By Joe Rizzo PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- Stephen Jackson decided to take over on the offensive end and his former team did little to stop him from breaking a sweat.

Jackson scored 10 of his 23 points in a decisive third-quarter run Saturday to break open a close game and lift the Golden State Warriors to a 105-97 victory over the New Jersey Nets, spoiling their home opener.

Jackson, who played for the Nets in 2000-01, was 4-of-8 with a pair of 3-pointers in the third as the Warriors turned a one-point lead into an 85-69 cushion, and helped them win their first game of the season, in their third try. He scored 20 of his points in the second half, and added eight assists overall.

"I just couldn't break a sweat, my body was cold, my hands were cold in the first half," Jackson said. "I really just couldn't get in a groove. I did what I normally do when that happens, I come out early in the second half and get warmed up. I broke a sweat and kind of got going in the third quarter."

Golden State was coming off an overtime loss Friday in Toronto. Instead of running out of gas as the game moved on, the Warriors appeared to get stronger behind Jackson and Andris Biedrins, who finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds.

The only down side for the Warriors was their free-throw percentage of 65.4, but that was allayed because they went to the line 52 times, converting 34. New Jersey was 21-of-28 (75 percent).

"Tomorrow we're supposed to have the day off, but Coach (Don Nelson) is going to make us practice free throws," said Jackson, who was 6-of-9.

"As long as I am making my free throws, it's good," said Biedrins, who was 7-of-8.

Vince Carter led the new-look Nets with 20 points, but could not help them build momentum from their season-opening win in Washington on Wednesday.

Now the team captain, Carter is playing with a slew of new teammates with Jason Kidd being traded at last season's deadline and Richard Jefferson getting dealt to Milwaukee in the offseason.

"We were trying to be as aggressive as they were, but we weren't getting the calls," Carter said. "We expect a lot from our young guys but it's going to be a learning process a lot of the time, as this was one of them."

The game was tied for the final time, 54-54, with 10:12 left in the third when Biedrins hit a pair of free throws to start a 7-0 run and give Golden State the lead.

The Nets cut the deficit to 68-63, but Jackson buried a 3-pointer at the 5:55 mark to kick off an 11-0 burst to put the game out of reach. After Al Harrington hit a free throw, Jackson converted a finger roll, a 3-pointer and a dunk to give the Warriors a 79-63 lead with 1:56 left.

"Once I got some energy and intensity going, we were able to keep it up," Jackson said. "A win is a win. We just had to get that first one out of the way. Last year, we started 0-6."

New Jersey attempted a late rally to engage the crowd, but came up short.

Josh Boone made a basket and Jarvis Hayes nailed a 3-pointer to close the gap to 99-90 with 2:45 left in the game - the first time the deficit dipped below double digits in roughly 12 minutes. The Nets' Devin Harris hit a free throw with 2:17 left and Golden State's CJ Watson missed a pair from the line at 1:35, with Boone's layup seven seconds later slicing it to 99-93.

Jackson made the second of two free throws, but Boone again converted inside as the Nets closed within 100-95 with 44 seconds left. But Corey Maggette calmly knocked down a pair from the line before the Warriors held on the defensive end to put away the game.

Maggette finished with 20 points despite going 3-of-13 from the floor because he was 13-of-15 from the line. He added 10 rebounds.

"It was great because Stephen Jackson picked up his intensity in the second half," Maggette said. "Then the way that Andris Biedrins played tonight, he picked us up on defense and really helped us out."

"They came back, but we held them off," said Biedrins, who added that his confidence built over the summer being the first option for the Latvian national team. "We just wanted to avoid the two painful losses like we had the last two games."

Boone finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds, while rookie Brook Lopez added 10 and eight before fouling out. Boone set a career high with nine offensive rebounds, but he, Carter and Harris each had five fouls.

"The way we played in the fourth quarter is the way we have to play every game," Boone said. "We can't just coast through, and unfortunately in the third quarter, that's what we did."

The first quarter featured five ties, eight lead changes and ended with New Jersey ahead, 25-24. There were five ties and lead changes in the second period, which the Warriors closed with a 52-51 edge.

Carter led the Nets with 16 points in the first half, while Maggette had 15 and Biedrins 13 for Golden State.