EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. ? Vince Carter scored a season-high 43 points to become the 41st NBA player to reach 10,000 points, and Jason Kidd had his 62nd triple-double in the New Jersey Nets’ 107-97 overtime victory over Philadelphia on Monday night.
Kidd finished with 22 points, a season-high 16 assists and 11 rebounds in leading the Nets to their season-high fifth straight win at home and their eighth in 11 games. Ron Mercer added 14 points, all in the fourth quarter and the overtime.
The win against a 76ers’ team that was without an ailing Allen Iverson came a lot harder than expected, especially after Carter made things look so easy scoring 27 first-half points.
New Jersey overcame an eight-point deficit with 5:46 to play, and survived a 28-point effort by Iverson’s replacement, Willie Green, who also missed a last-second shot at the buzzer in regulation.
Green hit a jumper early in the overtime to give Philadelphia a 95-93 lead, but Carter, who had only three points in the third quarter, matched the Nets’ franchise record with his seventh 3-pointer to give the Nets a 96-95 lead with 3:48 to play.
Mercer added a jumper with 3:08 to go and Kidd drive for a layup with 2:35 to play and New Jersey pulled away to move within two games of second-place Philadelphia in the Atlantic Division.
Kenny Thomas added 21 points for the 76ers, and Kyle Korver had 11 points, including three 3-pointers in the third quarter when Philadelphia rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit to take a seven point lead entering the final quarter.
However, the Sixers scored just two baskets in the final 10:44 of regulation and overtime in losing for the second time in six games.
The Sixers led by eight points three times in the fourth quarter, the last time on Corliss Williamson’s 5-footer with 5:46 to go.
However, that would be the Sixers’ final basket in regulation.
Carter, who also had a season-high 14 rebounds, got the Nets to 92-90 with a spinning layup with 2:03 to play, a basket that allowed him to reach the 10,000-point plateau.
Williamson pushed the lead to three points with a free throw seconds later, but Carter eventually tied it with a three-point play with 1:05 to go.
Both teams had several chances to take the lead. Carter was blocked on a drive with about 20 seconds to play and Green missed a jumper at the buzzer, forcing the overtime.
Carter had 27 points in the first half in helping the Nets take a 54-47 lead. The All-Star was 9-of-17 from the field, matching his season high for a game with five 3-pointers in the half alone.
Philadelphia rookie Andre Iguodala, who usually draws the toughest defensive assignment, didn’t know what to do against Carter.
When he gave him room, Carter hit the 3-pointer. When he crowded him, Carter drove by him. The play that got the crowd out of their seats was cross-over dribble at the foul line and a drive down the right side of the lane with Carter finishing the play with a one-handed dunk.
With Iverson out of the line, big Samuel Dalembert and Marc Jackson each had 10 points in the half.