GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: NBA: CHICAGO (0-0) at NEW JERSEY (0-0)

NBA: CHICAGO at NEW JERSEY

<div class="pre">NBA CHICAGO 93
NEW JERSEY 96 1:03 LEFT, 4TH QTR</div>

 

NBA: CHICAGO at NEW JERSEY

<div class="pre">NBA CHICAGO 96
NEW JERSEY 96 END OF 4TH QTR GOING INTO OVERTIME</div>

 

NBA: CHICAGO at NEW JERSEY

<div class="pre">NBA END OF REG 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
CHICAGO 21 20 32 23 96
NEW JERSEY 25 31 18 22 96 END OF REG
NBA CHICAGO AT NEW JERSEY

HIGH SCORERS AFTER 4TH QUARTER

CHI - BEN GORDON 27, LUOL DENG 22, KIRK
HINRICH 14
NJN - RICHARD JEFFERSON 24, VINCE CARTER 20,
ANTOINE WRIGHT 16</div>

 

NBA: CHICAGO at NEW JERSEY

<div class="pre">NBA CHICAGO 98
NEW JERSEY 101 3:00 LEFT, 1ST OT</div>

 

NBA: CHICAGO at NEW JERSEY

<div class="pre">NBA CHICAGO 102
NEW JERSEY 105 1:00 LEFT, 1ST OT</div>

 

NBA: CHICAGO at NEW JERSEY

<div class="pre">NBA CHICAGO 103
NEW JERSEY 112 FINAL IN 1ST OT</div>

 

NBA: CHICAGO at NEW JERSEY

<div class="pre">NBA FINAL IN 1ST OT 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH 1OT TOTAL
--- --- --- --- --- -----
CHICAGO 21 20 32 23 7 103
NEW JERSEY 25 31 18 22 16 112 FINAL IN 1ST OT

HIGH SCORERS: CHI - BEN GORDON 27, LUOL DENG 22, KIRK
HINRICH 14
NJN - RICHARD JEFFERSON 29, VINCE CARTER 24,
ANTOINE WRIGHT 21</div>

 

NBA: CHICAGO at NEW JERSEY

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
NBA
CHICAGO 103
NEW JERSEY 112 FINAL</div>

 

By Carl Dispoto
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer


EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- Richard Jefferson scoredfive of his 29 points in the final 77 seconds of overtime as theNew Jersey Nets posted a 112-103 victory over the Chicago Bullsin the season opener for both teams on Wednesday.


Vince Carter had 24 points and nine rebounds and Antoine Wrightscored 14 of his career-high 21 points after the third quarterfor the Nets, who shot 40 percent (33-of-82) from the field.

Wright was a small part of the Nets' rotation last season buthis impressive season debut hints towards a larger role. Heplayed 27 minutes and was a key source of offense in the final17 minutes as Carter and Jason Kidd struggled to make shots.

After scoring nine points in the fourth quarter, Wright gave theNets the lead for good at 99-96 with a 3-pointer just 40seconds into the extra period. He also added a layup at 3:19before Carter gave New Jersey a 103-100 edge on an alley-oopin-bounds pass from Kidd.


Jefferson had been scoreless for nearly six minutes beforesinking a runner from the right baseline with 1:17 left andsealed the victory with a 3-pointer for a 108-102 cushion with37 seconds remaining.


Kidd handed out 13 assists and pulled down seven rebounds as NewJersey defeated Chicago for the 12th straight time at home.The Nets have not lost here in the series since April 17, 2001.

Ben Gordon netted 16 of his 27 points in the third and Luol Dengcollected 22 and 11 rebounds for the Bulls, who rallied from a17-point third-quarter deficit to force overtime.

 

NBA: CHICAGO at NEW JERSEY

<div class="pre">CHICAGO (103) AT NEW JERSEY (112)

CHICAGO

REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===

L DENG F 43:58 9-17 4-6 4 7 11 2 2 4 2 22
T THOMAS F 22:12 1-7 2-2 3 3 6 1 3 0 1 4
B WALLACE C 37:41 3-7 1-4 4 1 5 2 2 0 1 7
B GORDON G 48:14 8-25 8-8 3 5 8 4 1 2 6 27
K HINRICH G 25:14 6-11 0-0 0 3 3 3 6 0 2 14
J SMITH 22:58 2-6 2-2 3 2 5 1 5 1 1 6
T SEFOLOSHA 10:31 1-3 2-2 1 0 1 2 4 0 2 4
A NOCIONI 24:05 4-12 0-2 1 4 5 2 4 0 1 9
C DUHON 30:07 4-8 0-0 0 1 1 6 3 0 0 10
A GRIFFIN DNP - COACH'S DECISION
A GRAY DNP - COACH'S DECISION
V KHRYAPA DNP - COACH'S DECISION

TOTALS 265:00 38-96 19-26 19 26 45 23 30 7 16 103
(.396) (.731) TEAM REBS: 11 TOTAL TO: 16 (19 PTS)

NEW JERSEY

REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===

R JEFFERSON F 44:57 7-15 12-12 2 8 10 2 3 0 3 29
N KRSTIC F 19:26 5-10 0-0 1 3 4 0 2 0 3 10
J COLLINS C 25:56 0-0 0-0 1 1 2 0 5 0 0 0
V CARTER G 46:00 6-21 12-12 2 7 9 6 2 2 4 24
J KIDD G 40:45 2-4 3-4 1 7 8 13 2 5 3 7
J MAGLOIRE 11:16 0-2 3-4 2 1 3 1 3 0 1 3
B NACHBAR 20:53 3-9 3-4 1 1 2 1 5 0 1 10
A WRIGHT 27:54 8-14 1-1 1 2 3 1 5 0 1 21
D ARMSTRONG 14:07 1-3 2-2 0 2 2 0 2 1 1 5
M ALLEN 4:18 1-2 0-0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 2
J BOONE 9:28 0-2 1-2 2 2 4 0 1 1 0 1
S WILLIAMS DNP - COACH'S DECISION

TOTALS 265:00 33-82 37-41 14 34 48 24 31 9 17 112
(.402) (.902) TEAM REBS: 14 TOTAL TO: 17 (22 PTS)

CHICAGO 21 20 32 23 7 - 103
NEW JERSEY 25 31 18 22 16 - 112

BLOCKED SHOTS: CHICAGO - J SMITH, B WALLACE, A NOCIONI. NEW JERSEY -
V CARTER 2, R JEFFERSON 2, A WRIGHT 2, N KRSTIC.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: CHICAGO 8-23 (.348), B GORDON 3-10, K HINRICH 2-
4, T SEFOLOSHA 0-1, A NOCIONI 1-5, C DUHON 2-3. NEW JERSEY 9-24 (.
375), R JEFFERSON 3-4, V CARTER 0-6, J KIDD 0-1, B NACHBAR 1-4, A WRIGHT 4-
7, D ARMSTRONG 1-2.
TECHNICAL FOULS: NEW JERSEY - J COLLINS, N KRSTIC.
FLAGRANT FOULS: NONE.
OFFICIALS: BENNETT SALVATORE, GARY ZIELINSKI, SEAN CORBIN.
A - 17,342. T - 2:48.</div>

 

NBA: CHICAGO at NEW JERSEY

<div class="pre">CHICAGO (103)

fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
L Deng 43:58 9-17 4-6 4-11 2 2 22
T Thomas 22:12 1-7 2-2 3-6 1 3 4
B Wallace 37:41 3-7 1-4 4-5 2 2 7
B Gordon 48:14 8-25 8-8 3-8 4 1 27
K Hinrich 25:14 6-11 0-0 0-3 3 6 14
J Smith 22:58 2-6 2-2 3-5 1 5 6
T Sefolosha 10:31 1-3 2-2 1-1 2 4 4
A Nocioni 24:05 4-12 0-2 1-5 2 4 9
C Duhon 30:07 4-8 0-0 0-1 6 3 10
A Griffin DNP - COACH'S DECISION
A Gray DNP - COACH'S DECISION
V Khryapa DNP - COACH'S DECISION

______________________________________________________
TOTALS 265:00 38-96 19-26 19-45 23 30 103
______________________________________________________

Percentages: FG-.396, FT-.731. 3-Point Goals:
8-23, .348 (B Gordon 3-10, K Hinrich 2-4, T
Sefolosha 0-1, A Nocioni 1-5, C Duhon 2-3).
Team Rebounds: 11. Blocked Shots:3 (J Smith,
B Wallace, A Nocioni). Turnovers:16 (B Gordon
6, K Hinrich 2, T Sefolosha 2, L Deng 2, J
Smith, T Thomas, B Wallace, A Nocioni).
Steals: 7 (L Deng 4, B Gordon 2, J Smith).


NEW JERSEY (112)

fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
R Jefferson 44:57 7-15 12-12 2-10 2 3 29
N Krstic 19:26 5-10 0-0 1-4 0 2 10
J Collins 25:56 0-0 0-0 1-2 0 5 0
V Carter 46:00 6-21 12-12 2-9 6 2 24
J Kidd 40:45 2-4 3-4 1-8 13 2 7
J Magloire 11:16 0-2 3-4 2-3 1 3 3
B Nachbar 20:53 3-9 3-4 1-2 1 5 10
A Wright 27:54 8-14 1-1 1-3 1 5 21
D Armstrong 14:07 1-3 2-2 0-2 0 2 5
M Allen 4:18 1-2 0-0 1-1 0 1 2
J Boone 9:28 0-2 1-2 2-4 0 1 1
S Williams DNP - COACH'S DECISION

______________________________________________________
TOTALS 265:00 33-82 37-41 14-48 24 31 112
______________________________________________________

Percentages: FG-.402, FT-.902. 3-Point Goals:
9-24, .375 (R Jefferson 3-4, V Carter 0-6, J
Kidd 0-1, B Nachbar 1-4, A Wright 4-7, D
Armstrong 1-2). Team Rebounds: 14. Blocked
Shots:7 (V Carter 2, R Jefferson 2, A Wright
2, N Krstic). Turnovers:17 (V Carter 4, J
Kidd 3, N Krstic 3, R Jefferson 3, D
Armstrong, J Magloire, A Wright, B Nachbar).
Steals: 9 (J Kidd 5, V Carter 2, D Armstrong,
J Boone).

------------------------------------------------
CHICAGO 21 20 32 23 7 - 103
NEW JERSEY 25 31 18 22 16 - 112
------------------------------------------------

Technical fouls: New Jersey - 2 (J Collins,
7:12 1st; N Krstic, 8:56 3rd).
Flagrant fouls: None. A: 17,342. T: 2:48.
Officials: Bennett Salvatore, Gary Zielinski,
Sean Corbin.</div>

 

By Carl Dispoto
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer


EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- The New Jersey Nets havebeen boasting about their increased depth throughout the offseason.Antoine Wright proved it wasn't just idle talk.


Wright scored 14 of his career-high 21 points after the thirdquarter and Richard Jefferson made two key baskets in the final77 seconds of overtime as the Nets posted a 112-103 victory overthe Chicago Bulls in the season opener for both teams.

Wright was a small part of New Jersey's rotation last season andwas mostly used as an athletic defender. But his impressiveseason debut hints towards a larger role and the Nets believetheir increased depth makes them a contender for the EasternConference title.


"I talked about it during the preseason, that our depth with winball games for us," Nets guard Jason Kidd said. "I'm notputting pressure on our bench but we have guys, and let's talkabout Antoine's performance, that are going to step up and carrythe load when our starters are struggling."


Wright played nearly 28 minutes and was the primary source ofoffense in the fourth quarter as Kidd and Vince Carter struggledagainst Chicago's physical defense.


"I was just able to knock down some open shots," said Wright,who made 8-of-14 shots. "With all the work I put in this summer,every time I touch the ball I feel confident I'm going to makethe shot."


"(Antoine) put his time in this summer," Carter said. "He wasphenomenal on both ends of the floor. It's great to see hisconfidence and, if he doesn't play as well as he did on bothends, we don't win this game."


After scoring nine points in the fourth quarter, Wright gave theNets the lead for good at 99-96 with a 3-pointer just 40seconds into the extra period. He added a layup at 3:19 andCarter made it 103-100 on an alley-oop inbounds pass from Kidd.

Wright wasn't the only star for New Jersey, as Jeffersoncollected 29 points and 10 rebounds.


Jefferson had been scoreless for nearly six minutes beforesinking a runner from the right baseline with 1:17 left andsealed the victory with a 3-pointer that gave the Nets a 108-102cushion with 37 seconds remaining.


"They made big plays," Chicago coach Scott Skiles said. "Alldifferent plays we needed to make at critical times, we didn'tmake them."


Carter finished with 24 points despite 6-of-21 shooting and Kiddhad 13 assists, eight rebounds and five steals to help NewJersey capture its 12th straight home meeting against Chicagosince April 17, 2001.


Jefferson opened the second half with a pair of free throws togive the Nets their largest lead, but Gordon caught fire -making 6-of-10 shots in the period. He sank three 3-pointersand forged a 69-69 tie with a jumper at 1:57.


"I think we waited too long to go after them," Bulls guard BenGordon said. "We just need to be consistent all the way through.There is no excuse for that."


Gordon scored 16 of his 27 points in the third quarter and LuolDeng had 22 and 11 rebounds for the Bulls, who rallied from a17-point third-quarter deficit but lost to the Nets for the 18thtime in 23 meetings.


Chicago guard Kirk Hinrich had 14 points but was plagued by foultrouble and played only 25 minutes before fouling out in thefinal minute of overtime.


New Jersey opened up a 56-41 halftime lead with a 12-4 run inthe final three minutes of the second quarter, taking advantageof Chicago's mistakes. Kidd stole an outlet pass, leading to adunk from Jefferson with 37 seconds left and made 1-of-2 freethrows after a steal from Josh Boone to close the half.

Gordon helped the Bulls shoot 57 percent (12-of-21) from thefloor in the third while the Nets were just 5-of-17 and enteredthe fourth clinging to a 74-73 edge.


"For two and a half quarters we were a step slow," Skiles said."Ben Gordon got us rolling with his shot-making and got us backin the game."


Andres Nocioni gave Chicago its first lead since the firstquarter on a jumper 21 seconds into the fourth. The Bullsscored seven straight points to take an 87-84 edge with 4:14left, but Wright answered with a 3-pointer and Carter sankback-to-back baskets to restore the lead.


Wright's second 3-pointer of the quarter gave the Nets a 96-89bulge with 2:02 to go, but the Bulls closed regulation withseven straight points. After a 3-point attempt from Kidd thatfailed to hit the rim, Nocioni buried a 3-pointer from the topof the key with 40 seconds left to tie it at 96-96.

Carter launched an airball from the left baseline at the otherend, but blocked Gordon's jumper in the final seconds to forceovertime.