EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) Jason Kidd hopes a week of resting his bruised left knee will allow him to return to action on Tuesday, when the New Jersey Nets play the SuperSonics in Seattle.

Kidd missed only his third game as a Net on Saturday, watching an 81-80 loss to the Toronto Raptors at the Continental Airlines Arena.

``It's just a bruise and it's been there since Day 1,'' Kidd said. ``We're just trying to manage. As a group we thought that giving it a week, to give it a rest, because we're not going to have another opportunity to give it a week off.''

Kidd has been battling a sore kneecap since bruising it in the season opener at Toronto in a collision with a Raptors player.

An MRI taken after that game showed no structural damage.

The All-Star point guard was getting by with the injury until Tuesday, when his knee swelled up in a loss to New Orleans. Kidd was held out of practice the last three days and was told to take Saturday off as a precaution.

With the Nets off until Tuesday, that amounts to a full week of rest.

Kidd, who has done some light shooting and spent time in the pool, plans to test his knee in practice on Monday.

``Once it swells, it becomes very stiff,'' Kidd said. ``My lateral movement isn't as quick. I tried to fight through that and help the team win any way possible.''

Despite averaging 16.8 points, a team-high 9.6 assists and 6.5 rebounds, Nets coach Byron Scott said that Kidd has been far from 100 percent.

``I just know that it's been bothering him and this was the perfect week as far as we're concerned to give him rest,'' Scott said. ``We had two games in five or six days. The number one thing was trying to get that swelling out, trying to eliminate some of the pain that he had. As far as if it can be a lingering thing, I guess it could be, but we don't know yet.''

Zoran Planinic started at point guard for Kidd on Saturday and scored four points in 22 ineffective minutes.

Veteran point guard Robert Pack, who had only played three minutes since signing last week, picked up the slack, playing 26 minutes. He had six points, six assists and five rebounds and played a part in a rally that helped the Nets wipe out a 20-point, second-half deficit.

It wasn't enough, though, to prevent the two-time defending Eastern Conference champions from losing for the seventh time in 12 games.

``He gets us going so we need him healthy,'' said Nets forward Kenyon Martin, who led New Jersey with 26 points on Saturday.

Kidd's absence was felt most in the Nets' transition offense. The Nets were limited to six fast-break points.