EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The New Jersey Nets pounded the New York Knicks, forcefully and flagrantly.

Jason Kidd took his anger out after being shoved to the court by a backup guard, and Jason Collins knocked Tim Thomas out of the game on a flagrant foul in the fourth quarter of the Nets’ 107-83 victory Saturday in Game 1 of their first-round series.

Kidd channeled his annoyance at being sent sprawling by Frank Williams into a 14-point, 13-assist performance.

Kerry Kittles hit his first six shots and scored 20 points as the two-time defending Eastern Conference champions shot nearly 60 percent in the first half. The most physical moment of the game came midway through the fourth quarter when Thomas, driving to the basket, was hit hard across the body and in the face by Collins. Thomas landed on his lower back and rolled over in pain, then walked off with assistance and went to the locker room. There was no immediate word on his condition.

Richard Jefferson added 21 points and Kenyon Martin had 16 for the Nets, who outscored New York 28-4 on the fast break – including 14-2 in the first quarter.

Stephon Marbury scored just 13 points for the Knicks, who are making their first playoff appearance since 2001. New York had several players score in spurts, but no one carried the team. Penny Hardaway led the Knicks with 18 and Nazr Mohammed had 16.

Game 2 is Tuesday night.
Spurs 98, Grizzlies 74
SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs, giving the Grizzlies a harsh initiation to postseason play, got 26 points from Tim Duncan and took control early in a 98-74 victory over Memphis.

The Spurs used their size advantage to produce easy inside baskets from Duncan and Robert Horry, while their relentless defense made Pau Gasol a non-factor while holding Memphis to its worst shooting percentage of the season.

Eighteen of San Antonio’s first 25 points came in the paint, and they ended with 50 points inside.

The win was the 12th straight for the Spurs and their 14th straight at home, coming against a team that beat them three times during the regular season.

Memphis, which entered the league in 1995 as the Vancouver Grizzlies, never made the postseason or won more than 28 games in its first eight seasons.

Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is Monday night in San Antonio.

San Antonio led 49-34 at the break, and the lead grew as large as 28 before the Spurs’ regulars sat down for the night.

Gasol, the Grizzlies’ leading scorer, went 3-for-11 from the floor and finished with 14 points.

As a team, Memphis shot 34.8 percent, the Spurs 53.4.

Manu Ginobili added 15 points for the Spurs, while Hedo Turkoglu had 12 and Horry and Tony Parker each scored 10.

Bonzi Wells had 16 points to lead Memphis and James Posey scored 15.

A pair of free throws by Gasol midway through the first quarter gave the Grizzlies their only lead, 8-6. Duncan then went over Mike Miller for a layup to tie the score and start an 11-0 run.

The Spurs limited the Memphis starting lineup to only 16 points in the first half on 6-for-17 shooting. The only bright spot on offense for the Grizzlies was Wells, who came off the bench to score 12 points in 12 minutes before the break.

Gasol, guarded mostly by Duncan, was held without a field goal until he made a driving layup with 19.2 seconds remaining in the half.

Notes: The Grizzlies’ lowest shooting percentage during the regular season was 35.2 percent against Toronto on March 23. … San Antonio’s bench outscored the Memphis reserves, 37-28. … Robert Horry’s 166 playoff games is second only to Karl Malone’s 173 among players in this postseason. … Wells is the most seasoned of the Grizzlies with 25 games of playoff experience. … San Antonio’s Devin Brown did not play because of a rib injury. He is expected to miss most or all of the Memphis series.

AP-ES-04-17-04 2249EDT

Television replays showed Nets forward Richard Jefferson taking a step onto the court from the Nets bench – possibly a violation an NBA rule that the Knicks became familiar with during their playoff rivalry with Miami during the late 1990s.

While he was already playing well, the altercation seemed to energize Kidd and add some emotion to his game.

Kidd ran down a rebound to set up Aaron Williams’ jumper seconds later, and he hit a 3-pointer right after that.

With the Knicks still within 59-55 late in the second quarter and the clock winding down, Kidd drove to the right baseline and drew a crowd of defenders. The All-Star point guard jumped and threw a long pass to Brian Scalabrine, who nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Kidd raced to the little-used forward and jumped into his arms, almost as if the shot was a game-winner instead of one that gave New Jersey a 62-55 halftime lead,

New Jersey put the game away in the opening minutes of the second half, and Kidd was spectacular again.

With 10:15 to go, he stole the ball from Kurt Thomas and led a fast break with Marbury alone on defense. Instead of making a layup, Kidd realized Kenyon Martin was behind him and threw a pass off the backboard for an emphatic dunk that got the near-sellout crowd on its feet and sent the Knicks to the bench for another worthless timeout.

New York missed its first 11 shots in the third quarter before Michael Sweetney scored inside with 5:49 left in the quarter.

Notes: Knicks G Allan Houston did not play because of a knee problem . … Scalabrine, who was questionable because of a hamstring injury, played just four minutes and hit all three of his shots. … Nets C Alonzo Mourning, who had a kidney transplant in December, was at the game. … Spike Lee found a courtside seat for the game. … The Nets wore red socks.

AP-ES-04-17-04 1945EDT