EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Jan. 19 (UPI) -- Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson combined for 14 points in the final period Saturday night as the New Jersey Nets turned back the Houston Rockets, 99-90, for their seventh win in eight games.
Both Kidd, a perennial All-Star point guard, and Jefferson, a rookie swingman, were quiet on offense through the first 36 minutes. The shorthanded Rockets held a 70-66 lead late in the third quarter before the Nets put together a decisive 15-4 run that carried into the final period.
Kidd scored eight of his 10 points in the fourth quarter and Jefferson added six of his 10 as the Nets allowed the Rockets no closer than five points.
Keith Van Horn scored 22 points and Kerry Kittles added 21 for the Nets, who have won five straight home games. The best team in the Eastern Conference embarks on a four-game road trip that includes the "Texas Triangle."
Moochie Norris started for the ailing Steve Francis and scored 23 points for the Rockets, who have alternated wins and losses in their last 13 games. Francis sat out for the second time in three games with migraine headaches.
