SAN ANTONIO – The first 10 were easy. Now comes the hard part.

The world champion Spurs. At home. After a loss. Hey, the Nets have seen tougher assignments.

But not many. And while they risk their 10-game winning streak, an NBA-high for the season and four short of the franchise record, against the Spurs here tonight, the Nets insist all is business as usual. Yawn.

Even with Richard Jefferson listed as questionable from back spasms, the Nets are riding a wave of confidence after their stunning 105-104 victory in Toronto, where Vince Carter led all scorers with 42 points, Jason Kidd was terrific and the Nets again played as a team in every sense.

“We haven’t really talked about the streak or anything. It is just a matter of us getting better each time we take the floor,” said Kidd, who had a 22-point, 15-rebound game in Toronto. “We’ve got a long way to go.”

And this road week could go a long way in determining exactly where the Nets are. They play the Spurs, who have beaten them five straight times. Then comes Memphis Friday. The Grizzlies have beaten the Nets four straight. Plus, the Nets have dropped three of four in Memphis, including the third-worst defeat in team history, a 47-point, 110-63 charmer on Dec. 13, 2003 (the 1978-79 Nets managed to lose games by 49 and 52 points one month apart).

The Nets conclude their possible exercise in torture Saturday in Dallas, where they have lost five straight. The Mavs have beaten the Nets 10 straight overall – New Jersey’s longest current futility streak against any team. Avoiding Phoenix is the only positive on this trip. The Nets have already played – and lost – in Phoenix this season, making the streak there 12 straight defeats.

So starting the trip with a win – albeit a nail-biting, stomach churning, down to the last nano-second win – was sort of important.

“Real important,” said coach Lawrence Frank. “Now we’re playing the top three teams in their division. We understand we have to play at a high level and keep on getting better.”

Everyone seems to be doing his part, including Carter, who has averaged 33.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists while shooting .466 from the floor (including .429 on threes) and .893 at the line during the streak.

“It’s our approach, our mentality, our focus on small details,” said Carter. “Everybody has accepted their roles and as a team, we are put together to make a run for it. We just go out, play hard and do what we’re asked. It’s not the person you play against, the opponent or what’s on their jersey. It’s just what we need to do, what’s asked of us. Sometimes you’re going to play good basketball and still lose, but there’s an air of confidence.”