Nets 87, Spurs 85

Nets 87, Spurs 85
By CHRIS SHERIDAN
AP Basketball Writer
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Jason Kidd wiped his right hand against his hip, brought it to his mouth and blew a kiss to his family -- just as he does every time he shoots a free throw.
Six times he went to the line in the final 20 seconds, and five of those times he calmly sank the shot.
Thought this was going to be a noncompetitive NBA Finals? Kiss that notion goodbye.
Kidd's free-throw shooting, along with the defense of Dikembe Mutombo and Jason Collins against Tim Duncan, led the New jersey Nets to an 87-85 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night, evening the series at one game apiece.
The Spurs had a chance to win it at the end, but Stephen Jackson missed a 3-pointer with 3 seconds left, and no one gained control of the loose ball before the final buzzer sounded.
The series now heads to New Jersey for a week, and it's a whole lot different than it did a day earlier, when the Nets were questioning and almost ridiculing the strategies used by coach Byron Scott.
Scott made plenty of adjustments, most notably giving 20 minutes of playing time to Mutombo -- the four-time defensive player of the year who had barely played in the postseason.
Mutombo made his first two shots, blocked three others and gave the Nets an inside presence that prevented the Spurs from scoring with ease from the inside, as they had in Game 1.
Collins, a second-year center, also was effective in neutralizing Duncan as the Nets held the MVP to 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Duncan hurt his own team by missing seven of 10 free throws, and he also committed four of the Spurs' 22 turnovers.
Kidd led the Nets with 30 points -- including 13 in the fourth quarter -- and seven rebounds. Kenyon Martin had 14 points and two blocks, and Lucious Harris came off the bench to score 10. Those were the only four players to score in double figures for the Nets.