With a five-game road trip finally about to end, Vince Carter had a choice between trying to extend it another few minutes or take a shot at ending it from 35 feet away.

Carter opted against the overtime and beat the buzzer and the Utah Jazz with a 3-pointer that gave New Jersey a 116-115 win Monday, ending a trip that started miserably with consecutive wins.

"It's a great feeling," Carter said after scoring 33 points and sparking a mad celebration before the buzzer had stopped ringing.

Carter got the shot off, watched it go in and then waved goodbye to the Jazz bench before he was tackled by the rest of the Nets, who began their Western swing with three consecutive one-point losses.

"I knew that (Jason) Kidd was fast with the ball, but he's even faster without the ball. By the time I turned around he was right up on me," Carter said.

Utah forward Carlos Boozer missed Monday night's game against the New Jersey Nets with a bruised left knee.

Boozer, the Jazz's leading scorer and rebounder, injured his knee Saturday against the Hornets in a collision with Tyson Chandler.

A report on Saturday out of New Jersey said that the Nets had offered Vince Carter to three different teams, one of them being the Utah Jazz in exchange for Andrei Kirilenko.

A well-placed source with the Jazz said that no offer was ever made for Kirilenko.

"I understand why the rumor goes ? because you see my position is kind of a little different this year," said Kirilenko.

According to the Bergen Record, the Nets have offered Vince Carter for Pau Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies, Andrei Kirilenko of the Utah Jazz or Ray Allen of the Seattle SuperSonics.

"I don't care," Carter told the Bergen Record. "I'm content with myself and my game and what I bring to the table. If it happens it happens, if it doesn't it doesn't. I'm going to continue to play just like I did when I was in Toronto."

Nets star Jason Kidd filed new divorce papers this week citing irreconcilable differences in his request to end his 10-year union to Joumana Kidd, who he says physically and emotionally abused him for the last decade.

Kidd filed the papers days after Gov. Jon S. Corzine signed legislation creating no-fault divorce, allowing couples to dissolve their marriage in six months if they cite irreconcilable differences. Previously, state law required couples wait 18 months.

Clippers sources on Thursday confirmed that the team recently talked about a possible trade with the New Jersey Nets.

The Clippers did speak with the Nets about the availability of star guard Vince Carter and point guard Jason Kidd, and were told the players were not available. The Clippers are no longer pursing any deals involving Carter and Kidd.

But the Clippers have been in discussions with many teams about potential trades that could help them improve before the Feb. 22 trading deadline. Carter and Kidd were among the players the Clippers identified as potential difference-makers that could help the team make the playoffs.

In recent weeks the Clippers have been shopping forward Corey Maggette because his agent requested a trade.

The third time wasn't the charm for the New Jersey Nets, who will be haunted all season by a bizarre stretch of one-point defeats on this California trip.

Cuttino Mobley made a 3-pointer with 0.6 seconds left on the clock, lifting the Los Angeles Clippers to a 102-101 victory over New Jersey on Thursday night. The Nets were beaten Monday at Sacramento by a jumper by Mike Bibby with 10.3 seconds remaining, then at the buzzer on a 17-footer by Golden State's Monta Ellis on Wednesday.

"In this league, you've got to expect anything and everything," Jason Kidd said. "We've put ourselves in a position to win, and we've come up short by a point in the last three games. It's not like we're getting blasted by 20 and you're searching for what we need to do. For us, it's just been the last 30 seconds and the ball hasn't bounced our way."

League sources killed a rumor claiming a proposed three-way deal with Nets, Grizzlies and Clippers containing, among others, Pau Gasol, Vince Carter, Shaun Livingston and Corey Maggette.

Gasol and Maggette are both seeking trades from their respective teams.

Baron Davis had three choices on the final fast break: a difficult drive to the basket, a risky alley-oop to Al Harrington, or an easy pass to Monta Ellis for an open jumper.

The veteran point guard went with choice No. 3, and Ellis buried a shot that stopped the Warriors' slide.

Ellis hit a 17-foot jumper at the buzzer, and the Warriors rallied from an 11-point deficit in the final 4 1/2 minutes to stun the Nets, 110-109 on Wednesday night.

New Jersey Nets forward Richard Jefferson underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle, on Monday, January 22, Nets President Rod Thorn announced today.

The surgery removed loose bodies from the ankle.  The procedure was performed at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan by Dr. Martin O'Malley and Dr. Riley Williams III.  

Jefferson, a sixth year pro from Arizona, will begin rehabilitation in approximately 10 days.  There is no timetable for his return.