New York ? The dunks came so easily, Richard Jefferson had to stifle a laugh on one of them.

Jefferson put on a dunking exhibition Friday night, throwing down all kinds of shots while scoring a career-high 39 points to lead the New Jersey Nets past the New York Knicks, 122-101.

Jefferson had a half-dozen dunks, the last of which — a reverse off an alley-oop pass from Rodney Rogers — brought teammate Kenyon Martin jumping out of his seat and whooping uncontrollably early in the fourth quarter.

Another highlight-reel moment came late in the first quarter when Kidd, standing with his back to the basket, nonchalantly tapped the ball over his head and toward the rim to Jefferson.

“The one that he caught and tapped it behind his head, I was trying not to laugh before I dunked it. I swear to you, I was so hyped. I just wanted to just stop and grab the ball,” Jefferson said. “That was some old-school park stuff, a guy does something so nasty like that. He’s one of the greatest of all time.”

New Jersey scored 74 first-half points and shot 62 percent from the field overall while increasing its Atlantic Division lead over Philadelphia to 11¼2 games. The win pulled the Nets within 11¼2 games of the Detroit Pistons, who lost Friday to Phoenix, for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

No one was more accurate than Jefferson, the second-year forward who failed miserably in the dunk contest at All-Star weekend. Jefferson shot 16-for-22, had two scintillating reverse dunks and four dunks off fast breaks as the Nets took advantage of their superior athleticism and quickness.

“The ballboy asked me for my shoes at halftime, which they’ll do sometimes,” Jefferson said, “and I said: ‘No, I’ve got another half to play. I can’t give these up. I’m feeling it tonight.'”

Martin added 25 points, Kerry Kittles had 19 and Kidd added 16 assists — all in the first three quarters.

One of Kidd’s assists came on a 50-foot alley-oop pass from beyond midcourt to Martin for a dunk.

“They beat us every way there is to beat a team,” Knicks coach Don Chaney said. “They beat us off the drive. They beat us on jump shots, they beat us on dunks and lobs. They were the better team. there’s no question about it.”

Allan Houston scored 27 for the Knicks, but his five turnovers in the first quarter helped allow the Nets to take a commanding lead that they never relinquished.

Warriors 102, 76ers 98

Philadelphia — Earl Boykins scored 10 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed an important offensive rebound in the final minute to help Golden State withstand the 76ers’ comeback. Antawn Jamison had 26 of his 30 points in the first half as Golden State bolted to a 23-point halftime lead. Allen Iverson had 28 points and 10 assists to lead the 76ers, who have lost two in a row at home. Kenny Thomas added a season-high 18 rebounds and Keith Van Horn had 18 points.

Celtics 104, Cavs 95

Boston — Paul Pierce, a former Kansas University standout, had 27 points and nine rebounds, and Eric Williams scored 17 points as the Celtics snapped a six-game losing streak. Boston moved into a tie with Orlando for sixth place in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Ricky Davis had 31 points and 10 assists, and Carlos Boozer had 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers (14-58), who need two more victories to avoid posting the worst record in franchise history.

Suns 94, Pistons 91

Auburn Hills, Mich. — Stephon Marbury scored 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Suns win for the fourth time in a row at the Palace. Shawn Marion added 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Bo Outlaw had a season-high 17 off the bench for Phoenix, which moved one game ahead of idle Houston for the final Western Conference playoff spot. Chauncey Billups scored 23 points, Richard Hamilton had 20 and Ben Wallace had 16 rebounds for the Pistons.

Pacers 140, Bulls 89

Indianapolis — Brad Miller had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Indiana shot 62 percent to rout the Bulls. Al Harrington added 19 points for Indiana. Tim Hardaway, signed Thursday as a free agent, scored 14 points in his first NBA game in more than a year. Eddy Curry scored 18 points for Chicago, which lost its eighth straight road game. The Bulls came close to the widest margin of defeat in franchise history, 53 points. They were beaten, 127-74, Nov. 8, 2001, at Minnesota.

Hornets 101, Raptors 92

Toronto — Jamal Mashburn scored 27 points and Baron Davis had 22 points and 11 assists as the Hornets swept the season series against Toronto 4-0. Vince Carter had 21 for the Raptors, who have lost 10 of their last 12. Coach Lenny Wilkens is one loss away from tying Bill Fitch for the most losses by an NBA coach with 1,106.

Heat 111, T’wolves 84

Miami — Rookie Caron Butler scored a season-high 35 points and Miami shot a season-high 62 percent to overcome an early 18-point deficit. Butler led seven Heat players in double figures. Eddie House finished with 18 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter. Kevin Garnett led the Timberwolves with 17 points and nine rebounds. Minnesota led 37-19 before Miami finished the half on a 29-12 run, with Mike James score nine points for the Heat.

Jazz 103, Bucks 90

Salt Lake City — Matt Harpring scored 22 of his 28 points in the third quarter, and the Jazz matched their longest winning streak of the season at six. Andrei Kirilenko added 19 points and Karl Malone had 18 points as Utah handed Milwaukee its third straight loss. The Bucks have lost eight of their last 11 and are a game behind Washington for the No. 8 playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Michael Redd led the Bucks with 26 points, while Gary Payton had 19.

Sonics 95, Grizzlies 71

Seattle — Ray Allen scored 10 of his 25 points in the third quarter, helping the SuperSonics improve to 15-0 at home against the Grizzlies. Allen shot 11-of-18 and Brent Barry had 14 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. Vladimir Radmanovic, starting in place of Lewis, had 21 points and 10 rebounds. Pau Gasol led Memphis with 13 points and Lorenzen Wright had 15 rebounds for the Grizzlies, the only team that hasn’t won in Seattle.

Lakers 108, Wizards 94

Los Angeles — Kobe Bryant scored 55 points, the most in the NBA this season, as Los Angeles defeated Michael Jordan and Washington, 108-94. Bryant’s scoring display, which included a team-record 42 points in the first half, came in what probably was his and the Lakers’ final game against the 40-year-old Jordan, who plans to retire after this season. Jordan finished with 23 points, 17 in the first half. Jerry Stackhouse added 22 points for Washington.

Blazers 112, Mavs 95

Portland, Ore. — Dale Davis scored all 16 of his points in a dominant third quarter as Portland snapped a three-game losing streak. Portland scored 44 points in the third, tying the Blazers’ season high for points in a quarter. Rasheed Wallace led the Blazers with 20 points and nine rebounds. Dirk Nowitzki had 20 points to lead Dallas, but he shot just 6-for-16 from the floor.