AUBURN HILLS, MICH. -- Another fourth-quarter comeback. Another two-point victory. Another breathless moment over a last-second shot that didn't go in.
The New Jersey Nets, behind Kenyon Martin's 16 points in the fourth quarter, beat the Detroit Pistons 88-86 last night to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven NBA Eastern Conference final.
Richard Jefferson's two free throws with 48 seconds remaining were the winning points but the Pistons had two chances to tie or win. Corliss Williamson missed a short hook with about 30 seconds left and Chauncey Billups couldn't put any mustard on a three-pointer at the buzzer with Jason Kidd in his face.
Martin finished with 25 points and nine rebounds for the Nets, who rallied from an 11-point fourth quarter deficit. They came back from 10 down in the third quarter in Sunday's 76-74 win in Game 1.
The series moves to the Meadowlands for Game 3 tomorrow. Only two teams in history have won a best-of-seven series after losing the first two games at home.
The Nets have won eight straight playoff games, including five in a row on the road.
Richard Hamilton, an offensive spark for the Pistons in the second half, led Detroit with 24 points, while Ben Wallace had seven points and 19 rebounds.
Kidd, who hit the winning shot in Game 1 with 1.4 seconds left, had 20 points and seven assists for the Nets, while Jason Collins held his own against Wallace with 11 points and a career-high 14 rebounds.
The game included 14 ties and 16 lead changes and little sustained offence until Hamilton got going in the third quarter. The Nets stayed in the game with a 19-7 edge in offensive rebounds.
The Pistons seemed in control when Hamilton's short baseline jumper made it 69-58 early in the fourth quarter.
But Martin wouldn't let Detroit go easily. He scored 14 of New Jersey's next 16 points, including two three-point plays and a putback.
After Detroit's Jon Barry lost the ball, he drew a technical foul for complaining after Martin rammed home a breakaway dunk. Lucious Harris made the free throw to cut the lead to two with 6:06 left.
Kidd tied the game at 81-81 with a three-point play, making a 12-footer while acrobatically drawing the bump from Billups. An exchange of baskets between Hamilton and Martin made it 83 all, then Billups and Kidd traded shots to tie it at 85 with 1:45 left.
Jefferson made one of two free throws for the Nets, and Williamson did the same for the Pistons to tie it at 86 with 1:07 remaining.
NETS 88
PISTONS 86
