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Carter lifts Nets past 76ers in OT

Dec 2, 2007 - 5:49 AM By Joe Rizzo PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) - It took a while, but the Izod Center finally felt like home for the New Jersey Nets.

Vince Carter came off the bench to score 24 points and the Nets overcame a big deficit to post a 94-92 overtime victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.

Carter helped the Nets erase an 18-point deficit and break a five-game home losing streak. Richard Jefferson had 23 points, and Jason Kidd tied his season high with 19 and added eight assists for New Jersey, which had not won at the newly re-named Izod Center since beating Washington on November 8.

"We haven't played well at home," Kidd said. "I've never lost five games in a row at home. One year we only lost seven. It's been a big advantage."

In that win against Washington, the Nets were able to erase a 20-point deficit.

"For us, we obviously have to learn things the hard way," Nets coach Lawrence Frank said. "To our guys' credit, they came out and played with more intensity and more passion in the third quarter. The good thing is we did enough to get the win."

Andre Iguodala had 24 points, making all 12 of his free-throw attempts, while Kyle Korver and Andre Miller each had 14 for the 76ers.

"We just couldn't buy a bucket in the third quarter," Korver said. "The home team is always going to make a run. We know that."

Carter hit a jumper with 15 seconds to go in overtime to give the Nets a 90-85 lead. He split a pair of free throws with 1.8 seconds to play banking in the second despite trying to miss, then watched as Willie Green's errant 3-point heave from mid-court at the buzzer.

The Nets are now 4-0 when Carter comes off the bench.

"We just wanted to go for a different look," said Carter, who was on the floor to open the second half. "Either way, it's fine. We were just a different team in the second half."

Antoine Wright, who scored 15 points, gave the Nets the lead for good, 85-83, on a driving layup with 3:27 left in the extra session. Jefferson converted from long range just over two minutes later, as New Jersey scored the first five points of overtime.

It became a foul shooting contest for the final 66 seconds, but New Jersey never gave up the lead. The Nets converted 83 percent (24-of-29) from the line, while Philadelphia shot 82 percent (27-of-33).

"That's really good for us," Korver said.

The way they opened the first half, falling behind by as many as 17 points, it appeared the home court was giving the Nets only a disadvantage yet again.

Trailing by 15 early in the second half, Carter had four points in a 7-0 run and Kidd had four in an 8-0 burst that closed the Nets within 58-53 with 3:27 left in the third quarter.

Carter then closed a 9-0 run with a turnaround jumper with 11:16 remaining in the fourth as the Nets grabbed a 62-61 lead, their first since the early going.

"We couldn't score the ball in the third quarter," Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks said. "Their defense picked up and pushed our offense out further. A 15-, 20-point lead on the road, that team is going to make a run. We've been playing good basketball. We just have to keep playing the way we played tonight."

"We're not starting out very well," Jefferson said.

New Jersey shot 41 percent (32-of-79) from the floor, including just 6-of-24 from 3-point range. Its defense limited Philadelphia to 42 percent (31-of-74), with Samuel Dalembert's 16 rebounds helping the Sixers to a 43-36 edge on the glass.

"A lot of times, we're on the verge of embarrassment," Kidd said. "We have to decide if we want to play defense or make a basket. We've had some big third quarters."