NBA Game Summary - New Jersey at New York

New York, NY (Basketball News) - Vince Carter had 31 points and six assists as New Jersey gained ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race with a 93-91 victory over rival New York at Madison Square Garden.

Jason Kidd collected 18 points and seven rebounds while Clifford Robinson contributed 12 points off the bench to help the surging Nets to their third straight win and eighth triumph in 10 games.

New Jersey is now just a half-game behind Philadelphia, who fell 100-83 to Dallas earlier in the night, for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.

Stephon Marbury finished with 26 points and Jamal Crawford recorded 23 for the Knicks, who have dropped five in a row. Malik Rose chipped in 18 points in the loss.

The teams were deadlocked at 75-75 with under eight minutes left when the Nets put together a 7-2 run to forge ahead. Robinson’s three-pointer ignited the burst and Kidd would later tack on a triple, then hit 1-of-2 free throws with 4:41 left for an 82-77 lead.

New York answered quickly, however, as Crawford was hacked by Carter after draining a shot from beyond the arc on the ensuing possession. He sank the bonus attempt to bring the hosts within one.

New Jersey was up 86-85 when Carter buried a three-pointer with the shot clock winding down at the 2:42 mark. Marbury then lost the ball on the other end, which resulted in Kidd’s layup which extended the margin to six with 1:20 to go.

The Knicks got to within 93-91 after Marbury made two foul shots and Kurt Thomas put back Marbury’s miss with 30 seconds left. After Carter missed a jumper with 4.8 seconds left, New York had one last chance for to win or tie. but Tim Thomas’ three-point attempt at the final buzzer was off the mark.

The Nets held a seven-point lead late in the first quarter before New York embarked on an 18-3 run to take a 27-19 advantage two minutes into the second stanza. Marbury delivered nine points during the stretch, including a near 40- foot bucket at the first period buzzer which put the Knicks ahead 23-18.

New Jersey battled back and got to within 34-33 on Brian Scalabrine’s jumper with 4:50 remaining before intermission. Jason Collins then made 1-of-2 foul shots less than a minute later to tie the score.

Five consecutive points by Rose, who netted 14 in the first half, put New York ahead 41-36, but the Nets went on a quick 6-0 run and took a one-point lead on Kidd’s layup with a minute left. Each team made a single free throw in the closing seconds as New Jersey took a 43-42 edge into the break.

Carter racked up eight points during a 10-2 spurt which put the Nets ahead 58-48 with five minutes left in the third quarter. The Knicks responded with a 9-0 run, capped by Trevor Ariza’s three-point play with 2:57 to go in the frame, to move within one.

Marbury’s triple with 2:29 remaining in the third gave New York a 60-59 lead.