Van Horn Wins Showdown With Duncan

Round one in the head-to-head matchup for rookie of the year went to Keith Van Horn.

Van Horn’s numbers weren’t quite as flashy as Tim Duncan’s, but the New Jersey rookie got more help from his teammates and made the bigger plays Monday night against the only player drafted ahead of him as the Nets defeated the San Antonio Spurs 95-84 in East Rutherford, N.J.

Van Horn had 21 points and 10 rebounds, but shot just 7 for 30 from the field. Still, his three 3-pointers in the first 3 minutes of the second quarter gave the Nets a comfortable lead they never relinquished.

“I’ve never taken that many (shots), I never missed that many,” Van Horn said. “My whole concern was on getting a win, not the matchup.

“You can’t measure the rookie of the year by just one game,” Van Horn added. “This one game doesn’t constitute a whole season, otherwise a lot of guys would be up for the award. There are a lot of games left to see how it plays out.”

Duncan, the No. 1 overall pick in last summer’s draft, had 24 points and 17 rebounds for the Spurs, but he also committed seven turnovers and didn’t make much of an impact in the second and fourth quarters.

It was just the third loss in the last 20 games for the Spurs.

“I didn’t win,” Duncan said of the matchup, pointing out the final score. “I knew it was there, and I knew it would be a big deal, but I didn’t think it would be this big of a deal.”

The much-hyped first meeting between Duncan and Van Horn seemed to bring out a little more energy in Van Horn, who looked like he wanted to show his stuff for this big game in the rookie race.

Egged on by coach John Calipari, Van Horn looked to shoot at every opportunity, whether from behind the 3-point line, from on the run or when guarded by Duncan in the low post. He met with little success, even going 0 for 7 in the third quarter, but the Nets had others to turn to as Kerry Kittles scored 19 points, Sam Cassell had 14 and Jayson Williams had 10 to go with 18 rebounds.

‘You’re going to look at the 30 shots, but let me explain something to you,” Nets coach Calipari said. “Every time he looks at me, what do you think I’m saying? ‘Shoot the ball. You’re here to shoot. You’re not here to pass. I’ve got enough passers. I want you to score and shoot.”’

Hornets lose Divac

Charlotte Hornets center Vlade Divac, bothered in recent days by pain and instability in his left knee, is scheduled for surgery today that could sideline him for two months.

The 7-foot-1, 260-pound Divac injured the knee in Charlotte’s loss Thursday at Detroit.

On the courts

Shaquille O’Neal burned his former team with 35 points, 15 rebounds and seven blocked shots as the Los Angeles Lakers struggled past the visiting Orlando Magic 92-89 Monday.

At Minneapolis, Stephon Marbury had 20 points and 12 assists as the Minnesota Timberwolves extended their franchise-record winning streak to six games with a 117-109 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.