Alonzo Too Much For Weary Nets
It was the Zo Show for Miami and a no-show for the Nets.
Alonzo Mourning had 34 points, 17 rebounds and seven blocks as the Miami Heat beat New Jersey 95-72 Monday night, handing the injury-plagued Nets their third straight loss.
"From a defensive standpoint, Zo was absolutely a one-man wrecking crew," Heat coach Pat Riley said. "Zo was so effective because he had confidence. He got confidence because he got respect from the officials."
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Mourning made 10 of 18 from the foul line compared to 9-for-14 for the entire Nets team. New Jersey scored just 31 points on 12-for-47 shooting (25.5 percent) in the second half.
"Collectively, everybody contributed," Mourning said. "That was the difference."
P.J. Brown chipped in 12 points and nine rebounds for Miami, which has won 12 of its last 14 games against New Jersey.
"The best defense of the six games played this season," Brown said. "Zo's blocks shows you that."
Keith Van Horn Paced the Nets with 19 points, while Kerry Kittles, playing in his second game of the season, shot 1-for-13 for five points. Kittles and Kendall Gill shot a combined 5-for-27.
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| Kerry Kittles struggled again for the Nets, shooting 1-for-13 from the field. (AP) |
"The guys were out of synch a little," said Jayson Williams, who had 10 points and nine rebounds. "Effort-wise and team-wise the lockout has affected us."
Tim Hardaway drained a 3-pointer to highlight a 9-0 run at the start of the second half, staking Miami to a 56-41 lead.
Mourning had six blocks in the quarter, as the Heat held New Jersey to 4-of-22 shooting and 14 points in the quarter. Miami led 69-55 after three.
Mourning, who was 12-of-18 from the field, dunked and hit a free throw to give Miami a 75-57 lead early in the fourth.
"We got beat to the ball again," said Nets coach John Calipari. "We'll figure it out, obviously it's not fun going through it, but it's part of the growth of the organization."
New Jersey got within 16 after Gill's fast-break jam, but couldn't draw any closer.
Williams' dunk and Scott Burrell's 19-footer gave the Nets a 32-26 lead early in the second quarter. Miami then reeled off a 20-6 burst capped off by Rex Walters' 3-pointer to take a 47-41 halftime lead.
Mourning, playing mostly against former Heat centers Chris Gatling, Rony Seikaly and Williams, had 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting and nine rebounds at halftime.
"Give Zo credit, he kicked our butt today and just outplayed me," Williams said. "That hurt the team. He beat my butt and the team, it was my fault."
Notes
Mourning's six blocks in the third quarter was a Heat record. Miami's nine blocks in the second half tied a team record for a half. ... Nets starting point guard Sam Cassells missed his fourth straight game with a sprained right ankle. ... Seikaly and Eric Murdock returned to the lineup. Seikaly missed the first four games with a sprained left ankle and Murdock sat out the last three with a strained groin. ... Hardaway left the court with 8:19 left in the second quarter after being poked in the right eye by Damon Jones. Hardaway sustained a small cut under the eye and returned to start the second half. ... Blue Edwards, who was signed Sunday, made his first appearance for the Heat and hit a 35-foot, 3-pointer at the buzzer. ... Dan Majerle, mired in one of the worst shooting slumps of his career, was 0-for-5 and has made only 11 of 36 shots this season.
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