Vince joins 10,000 points club; Sixers lose in OT

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J, (AP) -- Vince Carter had a unique

triple-double, a season-high 43 points, hitting the 10,000-point

plateau and the big baskets that helped the New Jersey Nets beat to

Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.

"He was amazing," Jason Kidd said after the Nets rallied to

beat the 76ers 107-97 in overtime. "He was great tonight. He made

shots early, he made shots in between and he had a big shot to tie

the game on a three-point play. He covered the whole board

tonight."

Carter, who become the 264th NBA player to reach 10,000 points,

scored the Nets' final five points in regulation to force the

overtime and he hit a franchise-record tying seventh 3-pointer

early in the extra period to put New Jersey ahead for good.

Carter didn't know he had reached the 10,000 points until the

Nets announced it.

"Once I heard it, I said, 'Let's win the game now,' " said

Carter, who has had consecutive 40-point games. "It was a good

feeling."

Kidd recorded his 62nd career triple-double, finishing with 22

points, a season-high 16 assists and 11 rebounds in leading the

Nets to their season-best fifth straight win at home and their

eighth in 11 games. Ron Mercer added 14 points, all in the fourth

quarter and the overtime.

"I have seen what he can do as an opponent," Kidd said of

Carter. "Now as a teammate, he is everything I thought he could

be. The future is very bright once people understand he is back and

playing at a very high level."

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, gave New Jersey a 96-95 lead with 3:48 to play with his

last 3-pointer.

"The team has a lot of confidence in me to make things

happen," said Carter, who was 14-of-32, including 7-of-16 from

3-point range to go along with a season-high 14 rebounds."

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.

"This was a game we had control of for the most part, and we

let it slip away at the end," said Green, who did not play in two

of the 76ers last four games because of a coach's decision. "You

can't do that in this league."

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.Game notes
The Sixers are 1-5 in six games without Iverson, who was

sent home after throwing up all night . ... Carter has scored at

least 20 points in 16 of 23 games with New Jersey. ... Carter's

previous season high was 41 against Detroit on Saturday. He is the

first Nets to have consecutive 40-point games since Super John

Williamson in 1978. ... Kidd set the Nets' single-game 3-point

record last week against Boston. ... Carter also got a technical

foul. ... The Sixers missed a chance to reach the .500 mark for the

first time since Nov. 26.