Nets Fall Short in Cleveland as Kidd, RJ Deal with Injuries

The Nets showed some resilience for the second straight night, coming back from a deep first-half hole in Cleveland Saturday night, but some costly turnovers down the stretch gave the Cavs an advantage the Nets could not overcome. Cleveland killed the Nets on the boards in the first half and led by as many as 16 midway through the second quarter. The Nets closed to within eight by the half, made it a one-possession game early in the third, and took the lead behind an 8-0 run by their bench early in the fourth. It was a tie game with a little more than five minutes to go when the Nets turned the ball over in three of their next four possessions. Cleveland led by six with less than a minute to go, but the Nets had a chance to tie in the final seconds, but a Vince Carter three fell short. Carter and Mikki Moore led the Nets with 18 points and Moore added 10 boards. Both Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson reported their nagging injuries (Kidd: back, Jefferson: ankle) had gotten worse.

• Boxscore - NBA.com
• Game Highlights (Video) - NBA.com
• Cavaliers 96, Nets 91 - Tom Withers - NBA.com (AP)
• Photo Gallery: New Jersey Nets vs. Cleveland Cavaliers - Tony Dejak - AP
• The Nets Lose a Step Down the Stretch - John Eligon - New York Times
• Carter, Kidd turn it over to Cavs - Dave D'Alessandro - Star-Ledger
• Kidd's back aching - Dave D'Alessandro - Star-Ledger
• Tangled Nets - Fred Kerber - New York Post
• Double the pain in losing - Fred Kerber - New York Post
• Nets bow to King - Julian Garcia - New York Daily News
• Nets can't escape early hole - Al Iannazzone - The Record
• Opportunity lost in Cleveland - Al Iannazzone - YES Network
• Vince Carter Press Conference (Video) - YES Network
• Mikki Moore Interview (Video) - YES Network
• Bostjan Nachbar Interview (Video) - YES Network
• Lawrence Frank Press Conference (Video) - YES Network
• Courtside Chatter (Video) - Ian Eagle & Jim Spanarkel - YES Network
• Postgame Podcast (mp3) - YES Network
• Go west feeling their best - Branson Wright - Cleveland Plain-Dealer
• Cavaliers grind out 4th in row - Brian Windhorst - Cleveland Plain-Dealer
• Gooden can be proud of numbers in five years - Brian Windhorst - Cleveland Plain-Dealer
• It's a week full of wins - Bob Finnan - Willoughby News Herald
• Cavs win fourth in five nights - James Walker - Columbus Dispatch
• Coaches with no experience as NBA player not hindered in bid to succeed - Branson Wright - Cleveland Plain-Dealer
• Ready for the road - Rick Noland - Elyria Chronicle-Telegram
• Ready for the road - Rick Noland - Elyria Chronicle-Telegram
• NBA Steal of the Night: Eric Snow (Video) - NBA.com