Van Horn Makes Sure He’s Not Forgotten

Round One in the head-to-head matchup for rookie of the year went to Keith Van Horn.

Van Horn’s numbers weren’t quite as flashy as Tim Duncan’s, but the New Jersey rookie forward got more help from his teammates and made the bigger plays Monday night against the only player drafted ahead of him as the Nets defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 95-84, at East Rutherford, N.J.

Van Horn had 21 points and 10 rebounds, but made only seven of 30 shots from the field as he looked to score as often as possible and forced too many attempts. Still, his three three-point baskets in the first three minutes of the second quarter gave the Nets a comfortable lead they never relinquished.

“I’ve never taken that many [shots], I never missed that many,” Van Horn said. “My whole concern was on getting a win, not the matchup.”

Duncan, the top pick in last summer’s draft, had 24 points and 17 rebounds for the Spurs, but didn’t make much of an impact in the fourth quarter.

Seattle 114, Houston 80--Gary Payton scored 13 of his 23 points in the decisive third quarter as the SuperSonics routed the injury-plagued Rockets at Houston.

It was the most lopsided victory of the season for Seattle and the worst loss of the season for Houston, which played again without injured stars Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler.

Utah 98, Detroit 89--Karl Malone had 30 points and 15 rebounds as the Jazz rallied in the second half at Salt Lake City.

The Pistons went without a field goal in the final 7:29. Grant Hill scored 26 points for the Pistons but made only three of 15 shots in the second half.

Charlotte 109, Toronto 88--Matt Geiger matched his career high with 28 points to help the Hornets win at Charlotte.

Glen Rice scored 38 points as the Hornets broke a three-game losing streak.

New York 98, Boston 92--Allan Houston and Chris Mills scored 23 points each at New York as the Knicks defeated Boston for the 21st consecutive time.

The victory was the Knicks’ second in a row, ending a stretch that began Dec. 16 in which they’ve alternated wins and losses.

Philadelphia 98, Sacramento 85--Allen Iverson had 24 points and 10 assists at Philadelphia as the surging 76ers won their fourth in a row.

Philadelphia has won four in a row for the first time since 1992 and four in a row at home for the first time since the 1992-93 season.