Nets Dump Knicks, Move Closer to Final Spot
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Vince Carter scored 27 points, Richard Jefferson added 26, and the Nets moved within one game of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a 106–91 victory over the Knicks last night.
New Jersey beat its cross-Hudson rivals for the first time this season after three losses. Nenad Krstic added 22 points for the Nets, who are a half-game ahead of Indiana (29–41) and one game behind Atlanta (30–39) in the conference standings. Jefferson scored 21 of his points in the first half as the Nets took a 56–45 lead into the break. The Knicks, who have lost five in a row and 12 of their last 13, pulled back within 11 points, 63–52, on David Lee’s layup with 8:55 remaining in the third quarter.