LOS ANGELES — First, it was Kobe Bryant. Then Jason Kidd.

Back and forth they went.

Bryant won the individual battle, Kidd's team won the game.

"It was two of the best players of all time going head to head," Los Angeles forward Luke Walton said after the New Jersey Nets beat the Lakers 102-96 in overtime Sunday night. "The fans definitely got a treat."

Kidd scored 24 of his season-high 35 points after halftime including five in overtime, and added eight rebounds and 12 assists to help the Nets snap a three-game losing streak.

"The heart and will that this guy has is unbelievable," Nets coach Lawrence Frank said. "His defense on Kobe, his assertiveness on offense — he would not let our team lose tonight. He put us on his back."

The Nets won despite Bryant's 46 points — an NBA single-game high this season. Bryant scored all but seven of his points after halftime, but only one in overtime.

"We just did not execute in overtime, and the execution was really simple. They just got the ball to Jason, and let him operate," said Bryant, who shot 14-of-36 including 4-of-12 from 3-point range, and 14-of-16 from the foul line.

Bryant scored eight points including two 3-pointers in the last 281/2 seconds of the fourth quarter, but the Lakers needed a 10-footer by Brian Cook to send the game into overtime. Cook rebounded a miss by Lamar Odom and made the big shot as time expired.

But the Nets outscored the Lakers 11-5 in overtime, making 4 of 7 shots while Los Angeles was 2-of-8.

"We went to small ball," Kidd said. "Guys stepped up and did what they had to do to win the game. I just tried to put as much pressure on their defense as I could. I have to step up to the plate. Tonight, I finally made some shots.

"The big thing is, we showed our experience. We came out in overtime, put pressure on them, made some shots and made some stops."

The Nets' starting front line of Nenad Krstic, Richard Jefferson and Jason Collins had all fouled out by the end of the fourth quarter. In overtime, Frank went with a lineup of backcourt starters Kidd and Vince Carter along with guards Jeff McInnis and Jacque Vaughn and forward-center Clifford Robinson.

A basket by the seldom-used Vaughn with 3:39 remaining gave the Nets a 95-93 lead, and they were on top the rest of the way. New Jersey never trailed in snapping a five-game road losing streak.

Cook added 14 points and was the only Los Angeles player outside of Bryant to score in double figures. Odom had eight points, 10 rebounds and five assists, but made only 1 of 11 shots.

Walton played for the first time this season, and had eight points, seven rebounds and five assists in 35 minutes. He hadn't played because of injuries to his left hamstring and right hip.

Krstic had 20 points and a season-high 13 rebounds before fouling out with 1:14 to play in the fourth quarter for the Nets (6-7), who handed the Lakers their sixth loss in eight games.

Jefferson had 10 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out with 5:57 remaining in the fourth period. Carter also scored 10 for the Nets.

The Nets led 36-28 after a forgettable first half in which each team committed 10 turnovers and the Lakers shot 26.3 percent. New Jersey led by as many as 18 points in the third quarter, when both teams picked up their play.

Carter and Bryant exchanged angry words after a foul by Bryant early in the third period. Both players received technical fouls.

"No big deal," Carter said.

"It wasn't really about the foul," Bryant said. "I mean, it was a hard foul, so I was just tried to see if he was all right and then he had some choice words that I really didn't appreciate. I think he was just a little frustrated, but it's understandable."

Ron Artest scored 22 points, and Jermaine O'Neal had 16 points and 13 rebounds as the visiting Pacers topped the Clippers in the opener of an NBA doubleheader at Staples Center.Elton Brand had 22 points and nine rebounds for the Clippers, who have lost consecutive games for the first time this season after a franchise-best 9-2 start.

Darius Miles scored on a bank shot with 1.3 seconds left to give the visiting Trail Blazers a victory and snap Atlanta's two-game winning streak.Zach Randolph led Portland with 24 points and 15 rebounds and Miles added 12 points. Al Harrington had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Hawks.