Auburn Hills, MI (My Sportsbook) - The New Jersey Nets try to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals series when they take on the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills tonight.

New Jersey overcame a double-digit deficit to squeak out a 76-74 victory in Game 1. Jason Kidd was having a poor shooting night overall, but his 20-foot jumper sailed over the outstretched arm of Mehmet Okur and rolled around the rim before falling through with 1.4 seconds remaining.

"Coach called my name and my number, and my teammates believed in me," Kidd said. "I told them I was riding their shoulders because I couldn't throw it in the ocean. You want the ball in your hand in crunch time. The opportunity presented itself, and I finally made one."

Kidd shot just 13 of 19 from the floor and tallied 15 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Kenyon Martin finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and four steals in the win.

Detroit managed to slow the tempo to its liking, but New Jersey beat it at its own game.

"People just look at our offense, man," Martin said. "We didn't get this far by just trying to outscore people. We're a decent defensive team."

Detroit led the NBA in scoring defense this season, allowing an average of 87.7 points. New Jersey was second, giving up just 90.1 per game.

Richard Hamilton led the Pistons with 24 points, and Ben Wallace grabbed 22 rebounds for Detroit.

"We've been down before, and we've bounced back," said Pistons coach Rick Carlisle, whose team recovered from a 3-1 deficit to beat Orlando in the first round. "We'll have to do it again."

New Jersey was originally thought to be without reserve center Aaron Williams for tonight's contest. Williams left the Detroit area to be with his grandmother, who suffered a stroke. Williams returned to the team on Tuesday, and should be available.

The team winning the first game of a conference finals series has gone on to win 16 straight times.

Game 3 is Thursday night in New Jersey.