EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. ? Alonzo Mourning was the lone bright spot in a game that nearly set the NBA mark for scoring futility.
In his first start since his kidney transplant and his first since the 2001-02 season, Mourning scored 14 points and powered his way inside for two key late baskets to help the New Jersey Nets beat the Trail Blazers 64-60 Tuesday night in what was almost the lowest scoring game in modern NBA history.
“It’s unbelievable because this guy keeps getting better and he was in a hospital bed with a kidney transplant 11 months ago,” Nets coach Lawrence Frank said.
The 124-point total was only five off the previous record for combined scoring futility. Boston beat Milwaukee 62-57 in a game at Providence, R.I., in 1955, the first year of the NBA’s 24-second shot clock.
If there was a highlight on a very bad night of basketball, it was Mourning. He also had 12 rebounds in his first start since his days with the Miami Heat. Mourning played a season-high 37 minutes, hitting 5 of 10 shots from the field. He also had three blocks.
He was more impressed with the Nets’ defense, which set the team record for fewest points allowed. The old mark was 61 against Minnesota on Oct. 31, 2003.
“I don’t think we have the depth we need in order to outscore teams,” Mourning said. “We have the heart and ability to outwork teams.”
The teams needed more than 47 minutes to get past 119. Portland’s Zach Randolph got the honor of reaching the 120-point mark with a floater with 44.6 seconds to go to cut the Nets’ lead to 62-58.
“It started ugly and stayed ugly,” Portland forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim said.
Randolph closed the deficit to two points with two free throws with 13 seconds remaining, but the undermanned Nets – who dressed only 10 players – iced the game when Jacque Vaughn hit two free throws with 10.9 seconds to play.
The teams combined for 44 field goals, an NBA record for fewest in a game. It was one fewer than the old mark set by Miami and Charlotte on Dec. 20, 2000.
Brian Scalabrine and Zoran Planinic added 12 points apiece for New Jersey, which won despite making only 25 baskets.
Randolph had 16 points to lead the Trail Blazers, who were 19-for-78 (24.4 percent). Portland was 3-of-19 from 3-point range, electing to shoot from long range instead of going inside against New Jersey, which lost big man Jason Collins with an ankle injury in the first half.
“They packed their defense inside and dared us to hit jumpers and we couldn’t,” Randolph said.
New Jersey only attempted seven 3-pointers, but they made their only 3 in the fourth quarter.
Rodney Buford nailed a 3-pointer with 4:26 to go to give New Jersey a 55-54 lead. Richard Jefferson, who was a woeful 3-of-11 from the field, followed with another 3-pointer to push the lead to 58-54.
After an offensive foul, Mourning powered his way inside for a basket with 3:11 to go and he added another on a pick and roll with Jefferson with 1:24 left to put New Jersey ahead 62-56.
Abdur-Rahim had 13 points and 12 rebounds for Portland, which lost its second in a row after starting the season with two wins. Derek Anderson added 11 points on 3-of-14 shooting.
Damon Stoudamire hit his first two shots and missed his final 10 for the Trail Blazers, who came within two points of breaking their franchise low for a game.
Despite making only 14 baskets in the opening 36 minutes and shooting 22.5 percent from the field, the Trail Blazers held a 46-45 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Notes:@ Sebastian Telfair, the Brooklyn high school product who was the 13th pick in the NBA draft, played two minutes and didn’t score. … Nets guards Ron Mercer (knee) and Travis Best (ankle) missed the game. … Despite being short-handed, Frank didn’t use rookie Nenad Krstic.
