Kidd’s triple-double leads Nets past Raptors

Kidd finished with 14 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his 36th triple- double as a Net. He is two shy of Wilt Chamberlain for third-most in NBA history.

Vince Carter had 25 points, 11 rebounds and six helpers while Richard Jefferson added 16 points for the Nets, who won their season-opener for the first time since the 2002-03 campaign.

Anthony Parker, who spent the last six seasons playing in the Israeli Premier League (2000-02, 2003-06) and the Serie A League (2002-03) after appearing in 16 games with Orlando in the 1999-2000 season, scored a team-high 22 points.

T.J. Ford, who was acquired in an offseason trade with Milwaukee in exchange for Charlie Villanueva, netted 19 and dished out seven assists and Chris Bosh scored 14 points for the Raptors, who have lost five of the last six meetings with the Nets.

Andrea Bargnani, who was the first overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, struggled in his debut, with two points, two blocks and two rebounds in just under nine minutes off the bench.

Trailing 53-49, the Raptors opened the third quarter with an 9-3 rally, which was finished with an Parker trey for a 58-56 lead.

With Toronto leading by two, 68-66, the Nets fought back with an 10-2 burst spanning the third and fourth quarters. Bostjan Nachbar’s bank shot tied the game and Carter found Nenad Krstic with a pretty behind the back pass for an open dunk. Mikki Moore’s emphatic slam ended the third for a 74-70 score heading into the final frame.

Fred Jones’ layup narrowed the gap to 80-76 with just under 10 minutes to play, but New Jersey countered with nine unanswered points, including threes from Nachbar and Carter, extending the margin to 89-76.

After trailing by as many as 14, the Raptors got no closer than 10 as they were outscored 28-22 in the final period.

Jefferson’s layup with under two seconds on the clock gave the Nets a 28-27 lead after the first 12 minutes of play.

Trailing 30-28, New Jersey reeled off a 17-6 run, including five points from Nachbar, for a 45-36 advantage with almost five minutes left in the second quarter.

Toronto responded with a 13-2 spurt, highlighted by Morris Peterson’s three- point play, to take a 49-47 lead with a minute to play in the half. However, the Nets scored the final six points of the period, showcased by Marcus Williams’ running floater as time expired, for a 53-49 margin.

Game Notes

New Jersey shot 51.3 percent from the floor, including 3-of-18 from beyond the arc, while the Raptors connected on 39.4 percent from the field. Toronto took 94 shots in the contest...The Nets won the rebounding battle 52-38...New Jersey turned the ball over 24 times...The Nets were without forward Clifford Robinson, who must sit out the first two games of the season due to a drug- related suspension dating back to last season...Since joining the NBA, the Nets are 13-17 on opening night...Nachbar and Krstic ended the game with 14 points apiece.