November 15th, 2006
Nets prevail in overtime
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Boxscore ]
The New Jersey Nets received a lift from an unlikely source as they defeated the Chicago Bulls 122-117 in overtime. Scott Padgett knocked down two three pointers in the final two minutes of the exta period and Lamond Murray added a trey of his own to put the Nets out in front for good and hand the Bulls a disappointing loss on their home floor.
Chicago had trailed for most of the game, struggling from the opening tip and allowing the Nets to run up a 17-6 lead. A strong finish spurred on by twelve first quarter points by Chris Wilcox allowed Chicago to tie the game by the end of the period but the Nets would take control in the second quarter behind Vince Carter, whose forays to the hoop resulted in several east baskets. Both Carter and Wilcox would score 18 first half points for their respective teams as New Jersey controlled the game 52-46 at the half.
The Bulls came out aggressively at the beginning of the third but poor shooting and some defensive lapses let New Jersey stretch the lead out to nine by the end of the quarter. Chicago stormed back in the forth however and appeared to have the game in hand when Kirk Hinrich hit two free throws for a 101-98 lead. However, Jason Kidd nailed a three pointer to tie the game, leaving the Bulls 7.3 seconds to try and win the game. Shawn Kemp and Ben Gordon both missed shots on the final play, sealing the overtime.
After the teams traded baskets through the first three minutes of the extra period, New Jersey ran out to a 114-107 lead after Murray's three. Ben Gordon would counter with a three of his own but Padgett then nailed two three pointers back to back to put the game away for good.
"Obviously, this is a very disappointing loss for us," Bulls coach Andrew Begley said after the game. "We were playing catchup for most of the game after the sluggish start but I felt we did a really good job to regain control towards the end of the fourth. Unfortunately for us, Kidd hit that three and we didn't take care of business in overtime."
Chris Wilcox led the Bulls with 26 points and 14 rebounds while Vince Carter topped all scorers with 38. With the loss, the Bulls drop to 4-3 while the Nets' record now stands at 5-5.
Notes: Chicago did not hit a three pointer in the first half. They were 4/20 from downtown for the game...Kirk Hinrich finished with 9 assists and 9 turnovers...the Bulls had only given up 90.3 ppg during their three game winning streak heading into tonight's game. They have given up 120 points or more twice in their first seven games and over 110 points in four contests, winning only once.