Nets' fans thank Cuban after Harris scores 41

Devin Harris dominated the team that traded him, scoring 41 points and helping the Nets ruin Jason Kidd's return to New Jersey with a 121-97 victory over the Dallas Mavericks last night.

Harris added 13 assists in thoroughly outplaying Kidd, who spent 6 1/2 years in New Jersey before the Nets dealt him to Dallas last February for a package highlighted by Harris, who had his second 40-point game during a breakout season.

He was removed for good after his dazzling performance with 2 minutes, 11 seconds remaining, with fans chanting "Thank you Cuban!" to Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who signed off on a trade many think the Nets got the better of.

Vince Carter added 34 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the Nets, who improved to just 5-8 at home. Yi Jianlian had 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Kidd finished with 17 points and seven assists, but neither he nor his teammates could deal with the quickness of Harris, who recorded his eighth 30-point game this season. Dirk Nowitzki had 24 points and Jason Terry 23 for the Mavs.

Kidd was treated to a long ovation when the starting lineups were introduced, though not particularly loud because the building was mostly empty on a night when a snowstorm made travel difficult.

In other games:

* At Boston, Ray Allen scored 27 points, Kendrick Perkins scored a career-high 25 on 12-for-15 shooting and the Celtics earned their 17th straight victory by beating the Chicago Bulls, 126-108. The Celtics could tie the longest winning streak in franchise history with a win tomorrow night against the New York Knicks.

* At Miami, Dwyane Wade scored 35 points and the Heat held the Los Angeles Lakers to their lowest scoring total this season in knocking off the Western Conference champions, 89-87. Kobe Bryant scored 28 points for the Lakers (21-4).

* At Atlanta, Strawberry Mansion High's Flip Murray scored 14 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter to help the Hawks beat the Golden State Warriors, 115-99. Marco Belinelli scored a career-high 27 points for Golden State.

* At Auburn Hills, Mich., Deron Williams scored 29 points and the Utah Jazz beat the Detroit Pistons,120-114, in double overtime, Utah's seventh straight over the Pistons. Allen Iverson led Detroit with 38 points and Richard Hamilton added 30.

* At Indianapolis, Zach Randolph had 34 points and 16 rebounds, Marcus Camby 20 points and 12 boards and Al Thornton 25 points in the Los Angeles Clippers' 117-109 double overtime win oner the Indiana Pacers, who were led by Jarrett Jack's 27 points.

Three Indiana starters, Troy Murphy, Marquis Daniels and Danny Granger, missed the game after being hospitalized with flu-like symptoms, and are likely to miss tonight's game with the 76ers at the Wachovia Center.

* At New York, Michael Redd scored 21 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to their third win this season over the Knicks, 105-81. Redd scored 12 points in a decisive 25-7 run that spanned the two halves.

* At Houston, Yao Ming scored 11 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, Luis Scola earned his seventh double-double of the season and the Houston Rockets beat the Sacramento Kings, 107-96.

* At Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant scored 24 points, rookie Russell Westbrook added 19 and the Thunder snapped an 11-game home losing streak with a 91-83 win against the Toronto Raptors.

* At Memphis, Boris Diaw had a season-high 26 points and 10 rebounds, helping the Charlotte Bobcats control the interior on the way to an easy 112-83 win over the Grizzlies. Emeka Okafor added 25 points and Gerald Wallace finished with 22 points for Charlotte, which set a franchise record by making 66 percent of its shots. *