MILWAUKEE (AP) – The New Jersey Nets were silently focused before the game, saving the hooting and hollering for a postgame celebration that came a few hours later.

Behind Kenyon Martin’s 29 points and Jason Kidd’s triple-double, the reigning Eastern Conference champions beat the Milwaukee Bucks 113-101 Thursday night to close out their best-of-seven series 4-2.

Kidd had 22 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds as the Nets advanced to the second round, where they’ll play the Boston Celtics beginning Monday night.

The previous time the Nets played at the Bradley Center, a 119-114 overtime loss in Game 4, they were much too loose

before tip-off, recalled coach Byron Scott, who sensed a different attitude Thursday night.

“Nobody’s in there joking right now, nobody’s laughing,” Scott said before the game. “It seems like they have more of a businesslike attitude. You don’t hear a lot of laughter in there right now.”

The joke was on the Bucks, who trailed by as many as 22. They were down 88-70 heading into the fourth quarter, and the best they could do was cut their deficit in half – 99-90 on a basket by Gary Payton with 51/2 minutes left.

Martin, who had 27 points in the first three quarters, quickly picked up his fourth and fifth fouls and took a seat with 11:07 remaining and the Nets ahead 88-72.

Rodney Rogers sank a 3-pointer around a jumper and two free throws by Aaron Williams to give New Jersey a 95-74 lead with 9:43 left.

But the Bucks had one last run in them, using a 14-2 spurt highlighted by Tim Thomas’s four-point play to pull Milwaukee to 97-88 with 6:20 left.

After Payton made it 99-90, Martin had two crucial offensive rebounds on one possession, dishing to Kerry Kittles for a 3-pointer to make it 102-90 with 4:37 remaining.

The Bucks were left to wonder if they’d played their last game with Payton, the All-Star point guard they acquired from Seattle on Feb. 20 in the blockbuster trade for Ray Allen.

Payton, who will be a free agent this summer, led the Bucks with 24 points and Michael Redd broke out of his series-long funk with 20 points.

The Nets took a 56-44 lead behind Martin’s 15 first-half points, and the Bucks’ unraveling continued in the opening minutes of the third quarter.

New Jersey opened the second half on a 12-3 run that included a free throw by Kidd after Sam Cassell was whistled for a technical foul for arguing – after he’d drawn a whistle on Kittles.

The Bucks trailed 52-44 and had a chance to whittle the deficit even further when Thomas was whistled for an iffy charge on Kidd, who was still moving into position when he drew the call with 20.6 seconds left before halftime.

Kidd then sank a jumper over Gary Payton with 3.6 seconds on the clock.

He wasn’t done.

Kidd stole Toni Kukoc’s inbounds lob near midcourt and raced in for a layup at the buzzer that gave the Nets a 56-44 halftime lead.

Bucks coach George Karl fell to 22-13 in his career when facing elimination, including 16-5 at home.

Notes: Richard Jefferson elbowed Desmond Mason to the floor after a fastbreak basket in the second quarter. The two exchanged heated words during a timeout shortly afterward. … F Jason Caffey missed another playoff game. He has been undergoing tests to “figure out what’s wrong with his back and his legs,” Karl said. Asked if it was career-threatening, Karl said: “I hope not.” … The Bucks never held a halftime lead in the series. … The Nets have won two other playoff series on the road, at Philadelphia in 1984 and at Boston last year. … New Jersey beat Boston three times in four tries this season.

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