EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- Kenyon Martin and the New Jersey Nets used strong defense to rebound from one of the worst losses in franchise history.
Martin scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to help the Nets to an 87-74 victory over the Utah Jazz.
"Whatever happened Saturday is over," Martin said. "You guys keep bringing it up to try to sell some papers. We came out tonight and took care of business, so maybe now you can write something positive."
The Nets suffered a 110-63 loss to Memphis on Saturday, the team's third-worst setback since joining the NBA in 1976. But New Jersey bounced back with a gritty effort against Utah and won for the fifth time in six games.
New Jersey held the Jazz to a season-low point total and 39 percent (26-of-68) shooting while forcing 20 turnovers.
"Tonight we had a lot of energy," Nets coach Byron Scott said. "We came out strong in the beginning of the game and pretty much until the end our energy level was there."
Jason Kidd, who gave a profanity-laced tirade during a team meeting after Saturday's fiasco, finished with 19 points, eight assists and eight rebounds.
New Jersey led, 31-30, with a minute left in the second quarter before going on a 22-4 run that carried into the second half and opened a 53-34 advantage midway through the third period.
"They were a little bit too tough for us today," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "They stroked us right out of the game and it was right at the beginning of the game. At the start of the second half we had the same thing happen."
The tone was set early in the game when New Jersey took a 13-9 lead into the second quarter. New Jersey shot 32 percent (6-of-19) in the quarter and Utah was even worse at 27 percent (4-of-15).
The combined first-quarter total was the second-lowest in NBA history. The Fort Wayne Pistons and Syracuse Nationals played to a 9-9 tie on November 29, 1956.
"We always look at it from a defensive standpoint. We did not care that we only had 13 points," Nets center Jason Collins said. "We looked at it as they only had nine points. We knew that our offense would come. So as long as we kept up the defense, we would be fine."
New Jersey outscored Utah on the break, 20-0, and in the paint, 42-18.
"The one thing that I had a difficult time with was that we could not run the floor," Sloan said. "We know that these guys are a good team and they are very difficult to play against. You have to push the ball up the floor and move your body so that you can get into some kind of rhythm."
"We have to get points in the paint," Jazz forward Matt Harpring said. "We're usually good about that during the season. Tonight we did not do a very good job getting points in the paint."
Nets forward Aaron Williams left the game in the first quarter because of a groin injury and did not return. Williams was scoreles in four minutes and coach Byron Scott said afterwards that the forward will likely miss a few games.
