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 Ignoring the distractions Kidd created a day earlier with his comments encouraging a trade, the Nets held the Bucks to 37.5 percent shooting and avoided their first double-digit skid since dropping their final 11 games of the 1999-00 season.
Richard Jefferson scored 20 points and Vince Carter had 16 points and matched a season high with 12 rebounds for the Nets. Bostjan Nachbar had 14 points.
Royal Ivey scored 19 points for the Bucks, who were without leading scorer Michael Redd for the second straight game because of a left knee strain that will also keep him out of Wednesday's game at Philadelphia.
Mo Williams and Bobby Simmons each added 14 points.
Kidd has been frustrated with the Nets' disappointing play and finally acknowledged Monday in a story on ESPN.com that it might be best to trade him, saying: "It used to be if I got a triple-double, that was an automatic win. That's just not the case now. We tried to make this work. We've found out it doesn't. It's time for us all to move on."
The Nets aren't ready to do that just yet -- especially if it means making a bad deal. Even with their skid, which included six losses on a Western Conference road trip, they began the night just a half-game behind Indiana for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. Winning Tuesday was New Jersey's only concern, coach Lawrence Frank said before the game.
"I think if you allow a distraction to stay in you and you allow that to control your own emotions, your own attitude, that's your fault as an individual," Frank said. "We just have to focus everything we can to win tonight. Once you start putting all this stuff together, you clump it,
'We've lost a bunch of games in a row, best player wants to be traded,' it's just focus on what we need to do to win a game. That's what our focus is."
The Nets led most of the way and had a 12-point lead with 5:48 remaining before their offense stalled. Yi Jianlian's two free throws capped an 8-0 spurt that cut the Nets' lead to 78-77 with 2:06 to play, but Kidd answered with his only field goal, a 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down, then set up Jefferson's jumper for an 83-77 advantage with 1:19 left.
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Kidd's tough defense on Williams forced the Bucks into a turnover, and he hit two free throws for an eight-point lead. Ivey made a 3-pointer, but Kidd followed with two more free throws to put away the game.
Kidd and Jefferson combined for the Nets' best stretch of the game. New Jersey led by five in the third quarter before Jefferson scored six straight points, the final four after assists from Kidd, to make it 51-40 midway through the period.
Kidd set up three more buckets by Jefferson later in the period, including a pretty bounce pass for a fast-break layup, to help the Nets keep the lead at double digits into the final minutes of the quarter. Jefferson scored 14 points in the period, which ended with the Nets leading 61-54.
Carter, who shot only 6-of-22, scored 11 points in the first quarter, when both teams shot poorly. Williams' 3-pointer with 25 seconds left in the period gave Milwaukee a 22-20 lead. The Nets held the Bucks to just 13 points on 5-of-21 shooting in the second quarter and led 40-35 at halftime.
Notes: The Bucks are hoping Redd returns Saturday at home against Houston. ... Bucks coach Larry Krystkowiak said Desmond Mason, out since having left thumb surgery on Dec. 22, has been playing some 2-on-2 and could also return Saturday. Charlie Villanueva returned after missing last game with lower back strain and had four points. ... Nets C Jason Collins didn't play in the second half because of a bruised right knee.
[Associated Press; By BRIAN MAHONEY]
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
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