Fred Carter can pop the champagne. He's still the best player on the worst team in NBA history and the 1972-73 Sixers will not have company in the record book, because the Nets got their 10th win of the season on Monday night at the Izod Center, defeating the Spurs 90-84. The Spurs led most of the night, but the Nets hung close and took a brief lead early in the fourth quarter. An 8-0 run put them up three with less than four minutes to go and they went up by as many as six. The Spurs had the ball down three with 12.2 seconds left, but Tim Duncan threw the ball away and Devin Harris and Terrence Williams sealed the win at the foul line.
The Nets shot just 38 percent from the field, but turned the ball over only four times all game. After allowing the Spurs to score 33 points in the first quarter ,they held them to just 51 the rest of the way. Brook Lopez led them with 22 points and 11 boards. Courtney Lee added 19 points and Harris finished with 17 points and nine assists. Williams came up big down the stretch, scoring 11 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter, including a key jumper that put the Nets up six with 2:40 to go.
It was the Nets' first victory over the Spurs after 14 straight regular season losses. It was also the Nets' third win in four games.
- Boxscore - NBA.com
- Game Highlights (Video) - NBA.com
- Nets get 10th win, avoid share of NBA's worst mark - Brian Mahoney - AP
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Win No. 10 helps New Jersey avoid history - Fred Kerber - New York Post
- Nets avoid worst record in NBA history with 90-84 victory over San Antonio - Dave D'Alessandro - Star-Ledger
- Tenth Win Means Nets Are Bad, Not Historic - Jonathan Abrams - New York Times
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Nets beat Spurs for 10th win, avoid 1972-73 76ers' mark for worst NBA record - Julian Garcia - New York Daily News
- Nets avoid date with infamy, beat Spurs for win No. 10 - Al Iannazzone - The Record
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Nets' win puts old 76ers in class of their own - Al Iannazzone - The Nets Insider
- Post-Game Plus (Video) - Jessica Taff - YES Network
- From the Booth (Video) - Ian Eagle & Mike Fratello - YES Network
- Kiki Vandeweghe Press Conference (Video) - YES Network
- Brook Lopez Interview (Video) YES Network
- Spurs suffer through painful night - Jeff McDonald - San Antonio Express-News
- Spurs' Ginobili unfazed by free agency - Jeff McDonald - San Antonio Express-News
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Carter just fine with his (dubious) place in NBA history - Steve Aschbrunner - NBA.com
- Nets win 10th game to avoid tying NBA's worst record - Agence France Presse
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Nets avoid history with win over banged-up Spurs - Gregory Hrinya - Examiner
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Nets Avoid History - Matt Moore - Fan House
- New Jersey Nets, you're not the worst ever, congratulations - Kurt Helin - NBC Sports
- Nets shock Spurs for 10th win, avoiding NBA's worst record - Bob Considine - NBA.com
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Lopez Leads Nets Past Duncan & Spurs in 4th - Ben Couch - New Jersey Nets
- Quick Recap: New Jersey Nets 90, San Antonio Spurs 84 - Mark Ginocchio - Nets Are Scorching
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Assist of the Night - Devin Harris (Video) - NBA.com