Kidd carries Nets to series lead

Vince Carter had 37 points on 15-of-23 shooting from the field for New Jersey, which took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven set with Game 4 scheduled for Sunday night at Continental Airlines Arena. Richard Jefferson contributed 18 points in the win.

T.J. Ford scored 27 for the Raptors, who also got 14 from Anthony Parker, but he made just 3-of-10 shots.

Kidd strained his left knee on Tuesday in the Nets’ 89-83 loss, but started Game 3 and was the catalyst in helping his team surge to victory. The eight- time All-Star selection logged his 10th career playoff triple-double, tying him with Larry Bird for the second-most all-time in the postseason.

Kidd had 16 assists by the end of the third quarter, the same number by the Raptors at that juncture and also had 12 points and 12 boards at that point.

Andrea Bargnani’s three had Toronto within 79-71, but Carter and Kidd finished off the Raptors, combining for the next seven points.

It was an abundant highlight reel for Kidd, who fed Carter with a backward pass in the lane for a one-handed jam with 6:03 remaining, boosting New Jersey’s lead to 94-79. Kidd then drove in a for a layup and the Raptors never got closer than the final margin.

Chris Bosh had 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Jose Calderon scored 12 for Toronto.

The Nets bolted to a 31-19 lead after the opening quarter. Kidd had nine assists in the period, one in which the Nets scored the opening nine points.

Jefferson’s dunk capped the early burst, and another jam from him moved the margin to 18-7. New Jersey led by as many as 14 in the first, a quarter in which they ended shooting 60.9 percent from the field.

Calderon’s jumper brought the Raptors within 36-28, but the Nets scored the next eight points, with Kidd feeding Carter for a layup to end the flurry with 7:56 remaining in the second quarter.

The Nets led by as many as 21 in the second and held a 58-39 lead advantage at the half. Kidd had six points, nine boards and 14 assists at the break.

Parker’s three-pointer closed the gap to 63-54, but Kidd responded with a shot from beyond the arc, and the Nets held a 79-68 cushion going into the fourth.

Game Notes

Magic Johnson is first with 30 career postseason triple-doubles...Kidd is the third player in NBA history to have at least 15 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists in a single playoff game, with Fat Lever (1985) and Wilt Chamberlain (1967) the others to attain the feat...The Nets shot 52.6 percent from the field and missed just one of 15 free throws...Kidd’s 19 assists are the most ever in a Nets playoff game. His 16 rebounds equaled his most in a postseason game.