OT

Nets 86

Hornets 85

NEW ORLEANS – Maybe the death knell would not have been official. But it would have sounded for the Nets, no question.

Reeling with a three-game losing streak, with playoff chances as bright as a coal mine, the Nets were nearing a collapse of stunning proportions. A 19-point lead completely slipped away to nothing against the who-are-some-of-these-guys? Hornets.

But in the end, one thing saved the Nets, beyond the fact the Hornets were worse than they were: Jason Kidd.

Kidd grabbed an offensive rebound and scored a three-point play with 2.5 seconds left in overtime, and the Nets hung on for an 86-85 victory.

The Nets simply will shut up and accept the gift.

Jason Collins, with the Nets down one, missed a pair of free throws with 8.8 seconds to go in OT. But he rebounded his second miss, only to have his follow-up shot blocked by Chris Andersen. Kidd grabbed the rebound and drove successfully, picking up a foul against rookie J.R. Smith.

Then the tables were turned. Kidd fouled Smith on a 3-point attempt at just 1.5 seconds. Smith, with the Hornets down 86-84, missed his first two then, trying to miss the third, made it.

Another proud Nets victory.

Cliff Robinson’s 3-pointer with 2:30 to go in overtime appeared to be a play that would keep the Nets afloat for another day. Robinson came in for fouled-out Nenad Krstic (12 points) and delivered his trifecta 21 seconds later. Jacque Vaughn (13 points) made one free throw at 1:21 for an 83-79 lead, but Bostjan Nachbar, who misfired at the end of regulation, bagged a triple for the Hornets with 51.2 seconds to go making it 83-82.

Both sides had ample chances to win. New Orleans had the last chance in regulation, but Nachbar misfired at the buzzer, about 10 seconds after Vince Carter (24 points) missed a 16-footer for the Nets.

Speedy Claxton hit one of two free throws with 58.2 seconds to go to bring the Hornets all the way back and forge a 75-75 tie. Carter, one night after bruising his right hand/finger, hit a jumper, but Andersen (12 points, a huge factor off the New Orleans bench) managed a tap in at 30.4 and it was tied again.

The Nets had a healthy lead, 59-46, after Carter drove at 4:47 of the third quarter. Then it all started coming apart.

The Hornets strung together a 12-4 run to close the third quarter, with rookie Smith (23 points), who began missing all six of his first-quarter shots, scoring seven of the points. The Nets again were ineffective against a zone defense and after that Carter score, missed their final four shots of the quarter while tossing in a pair of turnovers. So the Nets’ lead was 63-58 entering the fourth.

Carter, after 4-of-18 shooting horror at San Antonio, had vowed “I’ll shoot better” beforehand. He and Kidd (15 points, nine assists; he moved into 11th place on the all-time list) were dominant players again, and the Nets found help in other areas.

Vaughn had reached double figures by the end of the first quarter, and rarely used Zoran Planinic scored seven points in the second quarter. With the season threatening to slip into oblivion, the Nets tried everything.

“We have to keep fighting, keep playing,” Carter said. “It’s not the end of the world where we can’t get out of it. It’s not like that. We have to take our time, go play basketball, stop worrying about how much time we have left and worry about what’s going on right now.”