Kenyon Martin had 23 points, 13 rebounds, four steals and four blocks, and host New Jersey tied the longest winning streak in the NBA this season–13–with a 97-84 victory Saturday over the New Orleans Hornets.
The victory was the Nets’ 12th straight under coach Lawrence Frank, extending his league record for best coaching start and tying the North American mark for the best start in professional sports.
Joe Morgan took over the Boston Red Sox from John McNamara in 1988 and won a dozen. Jim Price won that many after taking over the baseball New York Giants in 1884.
Richard Jefferson added 21 points and Lucious Harris broke a nine-game double-digit drought with 13 points as New Jersey won its seventh straight at home.
Jason Kidd finished with 11 points, nine assists and nine rebounds to just miss his 59th career triple-double, which would have tied him with Larry Bird.
Jamal Mashburn led the Hornets with 28 points and 13 rebounds. Baron Davis added 17 points. Neither shot well, though, as they combined to go 17-for-48 from the field.
San Antonio and Detroit also won 13 in a row this season.
Lakers’ O’Neal sued
Shaquille O’Neal is being sued by a Tampa Bay promotions company for allegedly reneging on an agreement to participate in charity events.
Paramount Celebrity Management filed suit Friday in Orange County Circuit Court for more than $5.6 million.
“Had he showed, this would’ve been an annual event,” Robert N. Reynolds, the attorney representing Paramount, said Saturday.
At the time, O’Neal’s representatives told the Lakers he was hospitalized in Orlando with a 103-degree temperature the night before the events began.
RESULTS, SATURDAY’S SYNOPSIS
Memphis 105 at Bulls 98 Complete coverage, Page 6
Denver 81 at Miami 97
Dwyane Wade outplayed fellow rookie Carmelo Anthony, scoring 28 pts. Anthony finished with 16 pts, ending a streak of 9 straight games with at least 20 points, and shot just 3-for-20.
New Orleans 84 at New Jersey 97
The Nets entered the final quarter with a 74-68 lead, then put the game away with a 10-2 spurt that Kenyon Martin capped with a three-point play. He had five points in the run.
Houston 88 at Dallas 97
Dirk Nowitzki had 25 points and 12 rebounds as the Mavericks recovered from a 16-point first-quarter deficit. The Rockets opened the game with a 19-3 run.
L.A. Clippers 105 at Milwaukee 103
Michael Redd, fouled while taking a 3-point shot by Corey Maggette, had a chance to tie the game with :00.1 left to play but missed the first free throw.
Boston 84 at Portland 105
Zach Randolph had 27 points and 15 rebounds and the Trail Blazers scored the game’s first 22 points. The Celtics shot just 35 percent and missed their first 11 shots.
Seattle 92 at Golden State 94
Clifford Robinson made go-ahead 3-pointer with 55 seconds left, and Vladimir Radmanovic stepped on the 3-point line on his potential game-tying shot with 1.1 seconds remaining.
