Carter drops 34 as Nets squeak by Cavs
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-02-28 11:06

Vince Carter had 34 points, 11 rebounds and combined with Jason Kidd to make all the key plays down the stretch as the New Jersey Nets held on to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 104-98 after squandering a 21-point lead on Sunday.

Vince Carter, seen here 07 February 2005, scored 34 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to lead New Jersey to a 104-98 NBA victory over LeBron James and the Cavaliers, who once again failed to solve the Nets.[AFP]

James, who did not take a shot until late in the first quarter, had 28 points, seven assists and five of the Cavaliers' 20 turnovers in 45 minutes. Jeff McInnis had 23 points and Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 20 points and 18 rebounds, which tied his season high.

Down by 21 in the second quarter and 20 midway through the third, the Cavaliers cut the Nets' lead to eight points entering the final quarter.

New Jersey missed its first seven shots and former Net Lucious Harris tied the game at 83 with a jumper with 8:38 to go.

Krstic hit a free throw, Carter, who played the final 8:50 with five fouls, nailed a jumper and Krstic added another free throw to give New Jersey an 87-83 lead.

Every time Cleveland got close after that, Carter and Kidd came up big.

A 3-pointer by Carter with 5:22 to go gave New Jersey a 90-85 advantage. A 5-footer by McInnis later cut the margin to 92-89, but Kidd nailed a 3-pointer with 3:48 to go.

An tip-in by Ilgauskas pulled Cleveland within 95-93 with 2:06 to play.

However, Carter, who was 10-for-18 from the field, hit a fadeaway jumper and Travis Best nailed a wide-open 3-pointer after taking a pass from Kidd, who added four free throws and a big steal in the final 45.9 seconds.

New Jersey seemingly took control midway through the second quarter, when Krstic hit two free throws to cap a 29-9 run that gave the Nets a 46-25 lead.