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Kidd, Nachbar help Nets snap six-game skid

Nov 22, 2007 - 7:21 AM PORTLAND, Oregon (Ticker) -- Vince Carter returned to the lineup for the New Jersey Nets. But it was Jason Kidd and Bostjan Nachbar who made the difference on Wednesday night.

Kidd recorded his 90th career triple-double, collecting 12 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists, and grabbed a huge offensive rebound in the waning seconds as the Nets snapped a six-game skid with a 106-101 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Nachbar scored 20 of his 23 points in the second half, including 13 in the fourth quarter, for New Jersey, which scored the final eight points of the game to secure the victory.

"We are happy to get the win," Kidd said. "They have been a little more difficult to get than we would like, so it feels good. I'm not tired because I didn't play in Utah. If I play more minutes, it means we are in the ballgames."

Kidd capped the decisive spurt with two free throws with 6.9 seconds left to provide the final margin. The foul shots were made possible by Kidd's offensive rebound off Nachbar's missed 3-pointer with the Nets clinging to a three-point lead in the final seconds.

"Just at the right place at the right time," Kidd said of the final sequence. "Before all of that, we had some other big plays out there. It just wasn't one play, but we made plays coming down the end, and we haven't been in that position in a while."

New Jersey needed that clutch performance after Carter returned from a five-game absence due to a right ankle injury. He had 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting but was limited to just 27 minutes.

"It was good to get out there and try to make a difference," Carter said. "At the end, I was excited to be out there and wanted to help make things happen, help get this team back on track. I wasn't seeing how many points I could put up, I just wanted to get out there. It felt good to get out there."

"When you look at it, Vince just attracts so much attention," Kidd said. "Guys aren't going to leave him open and that just gives everyone else wide-open shots. That's what Vince brings to this team. Make or miss, he's gonna help other guys get wide-open looks."

Carter, who came off the bench for Antoine Wright, entered the game at the 3:14 mark of the first period and looked rusty at first - missing his first two shots and committing an offensive foul in his first two minutes of action.

"Four turnovers aren't great, but I think I was just excited to get back out there," Carter said. "My performance was OK."

The Nets' star duo of Kidd and Carter also was aided by Richard Jefferson, who scored 30 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Jefferson scored 13 points in the third quarter to spark a 13-3 run that got his team back into the game.

Josh Boone's free throw with 10:28 to play in the fourth capped the spurt, giving the Nets an 80-79 lead - their first advantage since early in the game. The lead swayed back and forth until the final burst.

Brandon Roy scored 21 of his 25 points in the first half for the Blazers, who have lost five in a row since a four-game winning streak.

"He was going good early and he is quite the talent," Kidd said of Roy. "We just tried running different looks at him and tried to tire him out by the end of the game. Fortunately, he might have ran out of gas or whatever, but we got done what he needed to do to slow him down."