EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Former Net Anthony Johnson held off a late New Jersey rally with two straight 3-pointers and the Indiana Pacers won their third straight game, 87-81 Thursday night.

Ron Artest had 21 points, Johnson added 17 and Jermaine O’Neal had 15 for the Pacers who saw a 19-point third-quarter lead shrink to two points with just under three minutes left.

Kerry Kittles had 23 points and nine rebounds to lead the Nets, who struggled with their shooting for the second straight game. Richard Jefferson added 18, and Aaron Williams had 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Jason Kidd finished with 10 points and eight assists after a 4-for-13 shooting night.

Raptors 77, Mavericks 71

TORONTO – Vince Carter had 19 points and the Toronto Raptors held Dallas to its lowest-scoring game in nearly six years, beating the Mavericks 77-71 Thursday night.

Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 27 points, but had just four in the second half.

It was the fewest points the Mavericks have scored in a game since they were held to 67 in a loss to the New York Knicks on Dec. 22, 1997.

Antonio Davis had 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Morris Peterson added 12 points for the Raptors, who rebounded from the lowest-scoring game in franchise history. Minnesota beat Toronto 73-56 last Saturday.