Van Horn Scores 30 of Nets’ 133

Keith Van Horn has played only five games for the New Jersey Nets, but he already has made quite an impression.

Van Horn scored 21 of his season-high 30 points in the decisive first half as the Nets routed the Denver Nuggets, 133-95, Saturday night at East Rutherford, N.J.

The rookie from Utah was 8 for 11 from the field, including three of four from three-point range, and made 11 of 15 free throws. He also had four steals despite playing only 32 minutes.

“He’s very good,” Net Coach John Calipari said. “But with everything you saw tonight you know what I liked? I liked the way he went to the offensive boards. He got two but he went after about nine.”

Van Horn, the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft, missed the Nets’ first 17 games with a sprained ankle.

“Tonight was the first time my ankle didn’t bother me at all,” he said. “Defensively I think I played well but there are still things I have to improve.”

The Nets, who led by 24 at halftime, scored their most points of the season and snapped a three-game losing streak.

The Nuggets lost their fourth in a row and seventh in their last eight. They also dropped to 0-12 on the road this season.

San Antonio 107, Orlando 78--Tim Duncan scored 32 points and had 11 rebounds as the Spurs won at home.

Orlando had a four-game winning streak ended and lost for only the fifth time in 14 games on the road.

The Spurs shot 62.8% and made a season-high 49 field goals. Orlando was held to 39.5% shooting and committed 19 turnovers.

With David Robinson limited to 13 first-half minutes, Duncan scored 22 points as the Spurs raced to a 52-36 halftime lead.

Miami 87, Milwaukee 84--Voshon Lenard made two free throws in the final second and Tim Hardaway scored 11 of his 21 points in the final quarter as the Heat won at Milwaukee.

Isaac Austin led the Heat with 22 points and Lenard added 21.

Glenn Robinson scored 28 points for the Bucks.

Milwaukee played its first game without injured All-Star guard Terrell Brandon, who was placed on the injured list before the game with a sprained ankle. Elliot Perry, who started for Brandon, scored a season-high 15 points.

Chicago 97, Toronto 70--Ron Harper scored 20 points as the Bulls needed only 11 from Michael Jordan to rebound from a two-game losing streak and defeat the Raptors at Chicago.

Toni Kukoc added 15 points and Dennis Rodman grabbed 14 rebounds for the Bulls.

John Wallace scored 14 points for the Raptors, who returned to the loss column after winning Wednesday to snap a 17-game losing streak.

Jordan’s 11 points--on four-for-16 shooting--marked a season low, 16 fewer than his league-leading average. He needed to play only 27 minutes as the Bulls had the game well in hand after taking a 24-9 first-quarter lead.

Charlotte 85, Cleveland 84--On the floor where he won All-Star MVP honors, Glen Rice scored 32 points as the Hornets won at Cleveland and ended the Cavaliers’ 10-game winning streak.

Rice made five of eight three-point shots as the Hornets knocked off the NBA’s hottest team. They overcame a 25-9 deficit at the end of the first quarter and kept the Cavs from tying Atlanta and the Lakers for the longest streak in the league this season.

Dell Curry, who hit the game-winning basket against Chicago, had 11 points and joined Rice to bury the Cavs from the outside. David Wesley got his only points of the game on a 3-pointer with 1:53 left that sealed the victory.

Minnesota 112, Phoenix 101--Stephon Marbury spent the first half spreading the ball around to his teammates. When the game was on the line, though, he took matters into his own hands.

Marbury scored six consecutive points in the final 2:16 at Minneapolis as the Timberwolves defeated the Suns in a game that featured the ejection of Sun Coach Danny Ainge.

Marbury took only one shot in the first half (he made it), but handed out 11 assists. He finished the game with 12 points and 14 assists.

Sam Mitchell led the Wolves with a season-high 24 points, and Kevin Garnett had 20 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

Ainge was ejected after receiving his second technical with 8:59 to play. After the call, Ainge charged onto the floor and had to be restrained by players and assistant coaches before exiting calmly.

New York 95, Philadelphia 83--On the surface, the Knicks’ latest victory was about John Starks taking over in the fourth quarter and the team avenging an embarrassing loss.

Look a little deeper, and it was about Charlie Ward asserting himself as a basketball player exactly four years after he was hailed as the nation’s best college football player.

Ward blocked three of Allen Iverson’s jump shots, handed out eight assists, grabbed four rebounds and scored six points in the game at New York.

Starks scored 28 points and was superb down the stretch, scoring 12 points in the final period and coming up with a steal, a key loose ball and a fast break dunk right when the Knicks needed them.

Detroit 93, Boston 77--Most NBA teams would be thrilled if the Celtics decided not to use their full-court press for a night.

Not the Pistons.

After anxiously waiting for it in the first half, the Pistons mauled Boston’s pressure defense in the second half and went on to an easy win at home.

Brian Williams, who only had two points at halftime, finished with a season-high 31 to continue his bid for an All-Star spot.

Williams also had 15 rebounds, while Grant Hill added 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

Trailing at halftime, the Celtics tried to change the tempo by going to a full-court press in the third period. But the plan didn’t work, as the Pistons continued to beat the press and find Williams alone at the other end.

Indiana 109, Washington 92--Rik Smits scored 25 points, including 10 in the final seven minutes, as the Pacers won at Indianapolis.

Smits added 13 rebounds for the Pacers, who made 31 of 32 free-throw attempts.

Chris Webber led the Wizards with 31 points.

Reggie Miller scored 22 points for Indiana, which opened the fourth quarter with a 12-5 run to take a 87-78 lead.

Webber scored six consecutive points for Washington, including a dunk, a jumper and a pair of free throws, as the Wizards pulled within 97-86 with 3:20 remaining.

But Miller made a three-point shot, and Travis Best and Smits added free throws to clinch the victory.

Washington built a 10-point lead in the second quarter after a 12-2 run and led 53-46 at the half.

Golden State 95, Sacramento 91--Joe Smith scored 25 points and the Warriors scored the first seven points of overtime to beat the Kings at Oakland.

After a 1-13 start, the Warriors are 3-3 since the suspension of Latrell Sprewell.

Smith’s two free throws with 3:09 left in overtime capped the 7-0 run that gave the Warriors their biggest lead of the game, 88-81.

The Kings pulled within 89-88 when Smith fouled out with 1:20 to play, resulting in two free throws by Mitch Richmond. But Golden State’s Brian Shaw sank an 18-footer to start a 6-0 run that put the game away.

Richmond led Sacramento with 30 points, while Olden Polynice had 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Kings.

Donyell Marshall had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Warriors.

Polynice’s tip-in with 7.8 seconds left in regulation tied the score at 81-81, and the game went to overtime after Marshall missed a layup with less than a second remaining.

Golden State shot only 41%, and Sacramento was worse at 38%.