Nets Better but Not Better Than Heat

The one-game take on the new-look New Jersey Nets is in. They’re a better team, but not in the class of the Miami Heat yet.

Tim Hardaway spoiled the Nets’ post-trade coming-out party by scoring 35 points and Miami extended its team-record winning streak to 11 games with a 92-87 victory Thursday night at East Rutherford, N.J.

The game was the Nets’ first since Monday’s nine-player trade that sent Chris Gatling, Jimmy Jackson, Eric Montross, Sam Cassell and George McCloud from Dallas to New Jersey, and Coach John Calipari liked what he saw.

McCloud was traded to the Lakers on Thursday, but the Nets were more athletic as they battled Miami for almost three quarters before succumbing to Hardaway’s 23 second-half points and the Miami defense, which limited New Jersey to five-for-22 shooting in the fourth quarter.

“We had talent before, but the other teams always seemed to have more and were deeper,” Calipari said. “Now we have some answers.”

Kendall Gill and Cassell had 17 points apiece to lead New Jersey. Gatling scored 13 in his debut and Montross tied his season-high with 12 points. Jackson finished with five points.

Milwaukee 101, Dallas 99--Vin Baker scored 29 points at Dallas to lead the Bucks to a victory over the Mavericks, who had four new players in the lineup but got the same old results.

Shawn Bradley, making his Dallas debut, had 10 points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots. Michael Finley led the Mavericks with a career-high 33 points.

Dallas had a chance to tie the game in the final second. Derek Harper made a free throw and missed his second on purpose, but the ball failed to hit the rim and Milwaukee ran out the clock.

New York 109, Sacramento 87--Patrick Ewing scored 24 points and Larry Johnson had 22 at Sacramento to lead the Knicks to a convincing seventh consecutive victory.

Mitch Richmond had 25 points for the Kings, who had their three-game winning streak ended.

Indiana 92, Denver 68--After a day of trading, the Nuggets looked lost without their old players in losing at Indianapolis.

Rik Smits led the Pacers, who never trailed, with 23 points and a career-high 16 rebounds.

LaPhonso Ellis had 18 points and nine rebounds and Antonio McDyess had 17 points and nine rebounds for the cold-shooting Nuggets, who shot 30% overall.

Utah 122, Boston 105--Karl Malone scored 34 points and grabbed 16 rebounds at Salt Lake City to lead the Jazz to its seventh consecutive victory.

Todd Day and David Wesley each scored 21 points, and the Celtics cut a 20-point deficit to six with 6:20 to play. But Utah used a 10-4 spurt to hand the Celtics their ninth consecutive defeat.

It was Utah’s 13th consecutive home victory.

Houston 107, Toronto 97--Hakeem Olajuwon scored 25 points and Charles Barkley added 18 on his 34th birthday as the Rockets stopped the Raptors at Houston.

Damon Stoudamire led the Raptors with 17 points.