WASHINGTON - Vince Carter's 34 points included a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to force overtime, and Jason Kidd's 77th career triple-double included 18 assists Sunday night, leading the New Jersey Nets to a 105-93 victory over the Washington Wizards.

Vince Carter of the New Jersey Nets shouts in celebration after hitting a three-point shot at the buzzer against the Washington Wizards to send the game into overtime in Washington November 12, 2006. The Nets went on to win the game 105-93. [AP]

The Wizards were seeking their first 4-0 start at home since the 1974-75 season, and they appeared headed in that direction when Michael Ruffin drew a charging call on Carter with 3.2 seconds left in regulation and the hosts ahead by a point.

Two free throws by Jarvis Hayes stretched Washington's advantage to 87-84 with 2.6 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

That was enough time for Carter to come through, though.

He took the inbounds pass and launched a fadeaway, straightaway 3 that clanged off the back of the rim, bounced, then dropped through the net as time expired to send the game to the extra period.

The Nets dominated overtime, led by Carter's eight points and Nenad Krstic's six. Kidd fed Carter for an alley-oop dunk. Carter blocked Caron Butler's shot at the other end.

With Richard Jefferson out with a sprained left ankle, the Nets had to find scoring elsewhere, and Krstic finished with 22 points, while Bostjan Nachbar added 15.

It all ran through Kidd, naturally. He had 15 points, 11 rebounds and all of those assists, moving past former Wizards point guard Rod Strickland for seventh on the NBA career assists list with a total of 7,997. Kidd entered the game needing nine assists to pass Strickland and he managed to reach that figure in the first half alone, without committing a single turnover.

Kidd now stands one triple-double behind Wilt Chamberlain for third-most in NBA history.

But it was the Nets' defense that might have been the most impressive thing about their victory.

The Nets held Gilbert Arenas to 6-for-23 shooting and 25 points - 12.7 below his average this season at home, where the Wizards had been averaging 119 points.

The Wizards missed 10 of their first 11 shots, made only 35 percent from the field overall, trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half and were down 67-60 entering the fourth quarter.

Washington took its first lead with 4:09 remaining on Butler's 12-foot jumper in the lane, and Hayes' fast-break layup made it 81-77 with 3 1/2 minutes left.

That, of course, only set up Carter's fantastic finish.