Jason Kidd was back in the Nets lineup after missing Wednesday’s loss to the Knicks with what he said was a migraine. But the way the Nets spit the bit last night, 96-89 against the Rockets, was enough to give the fans that came to the Meadowlands headaches of their own.
On Thursday, Kidd denied The Post’s story that a source said he had gone on a one-day strike to force a trade or contract extension, and yesterday Richard Jefferson opined the distraction might prod the struggling Nets into playing better. No such luck. Not by a long shot.
For the ninth straight time, they dug themselves a double-digit deficit on their home floor (in eight of those games, the deficit came in the first half) and as usual, they couldn’t find a way to dig themselves out. They trailed by 10 after a quarter and 15 at the half in a game in which Kidd was invisible and Jefferson incensed.
“The first 15 to 20 minutes every game, we’re terrible. We’re awful,” said Jefferson, who scored 29 points. “I’m as responsible as anybody. It’s frustrating.
“It’s a joke. The fact we even have nine wins is amazing, the way we’ve been playing. I don’t know what to say.”
There is little else to be said about this dysfunctional team. If the Nets hoped Kidd’s return would shake their malaise, it didn’t. He had 10 points, seven boards and seven assists despite a cold, but was 1-for-6 going into the anticlimactic fourth quarter, his Nets down a dozen.
“I feel better. Being back out there, I tried everything I could. We just couldn’t get over the hump,” said Kidd, who insists the only thing vexing him is the Nets’ play and has told teammates he simply wants to play for a contender.
After back-to-back losses dropped them to 9-11 (4-8 at home) the question is: Are the Nets playing as one? And is Kidd wondering the same thing himself?
“(Jefferson) has every right to be (peeved). We all should be upset, because it’s been a constant thing,” Kidd said. “It’s about the only thing we’ve shown, that we can be down and fight our way back. We’re trying to find the answer to that. We’re trying to find a lot of other answers. There are a lot of questions out there unanswered.”
Like the mindset of Kidd and his team.
Kidd was angered when the club refused his agent’s request for a one-year, $13 million extension, and he publicly ripped the team for having a “glass jaw” after a blowout loss last month in Utah. A source told The Post the Nets were planning to talk to the Mavericks, Lakers and maybe Cavaliers about possible deals.
Whatever the front office does, on-court the Nets are a mess right now. They missed 11 of their first 13 shots, and trailed 28-18 at the end of a first quarter that saw Houston shoot 60 percent and Tracy McGrady score 13 of his 24 points, abusing first Antoine Wright then Jefferson.
The Nets’ tempers boiled over in a second quarter that saw both Vince Carter (season-high-tying 32 points) and Lawrence Frank pick up technicals. Yao Ming (25 points, 11 rebounds) hit the free throw for the latter, giving Houston a 48-33 lead. The Nets got no closer than the final margin.
“It’s not a matter of talent,” Jefferson said. “We’re just not coming out with the right mindset, I guess, and it’s been like this for a long time now.”
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Darrell Armstrong (right thigh) was available after missing the last 11 games, but did not play. Antoine Wright (shoulder) logged a scoreless 15 minutes after missing the last two, and Jason Collins started despite a strained groin. Marcus Williams won’t make the trip to Washington tomorrow, but will try to make the shootaround Tuesday and might practice Wednesday.