EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Feb. 10 (Ticker) -- The New Jersey Nets served notice that they are making a run at the best teams in the Eastern Conference.

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Richard Jefferson had 27 points and 10 rebounds and All-Star Jason Kidd narrowly missed his second triple-double in as many games as the Nets remained unbeaten under coach Lawrence Frank with an 89-78 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

New Jersey (30-20) extended its season-high winning streak to nine games, beating a team with a better record for the first time during the run. The first eight wins came against teams that are a combined 81 games under .500 before this victory over Detroit (33-20), which has the conference's second-best record.

"It was an excellent team victory," Frank said. "(The Pistons) are an excellent opponent. Our guys did a terrific job, really worked their tails off. Our guys rose to the challenge and did an excellent job."

"We just play to win the game and let the records take care of themselves," said Nets guard Kerry Kittles, who scored 17 points.

The Pistons led by as many as 14 points early in the second quarter, but the Nets made 12-of-15 shots in the period led by Jefferson, who had 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting.

"We forgot how we got a lead," Detroit coach Larry Brown said. "We stopped passing the ball, which gave them the opportunity to run on the break and we never matched their energy. Their energy was a lot greater than ours."

New Jersey scored 11 fast-break points in the quarter and 11 points off seven Detroit turnovers. The Nets outscored the Pistons 30-13 in the second period and never relinquished the lead after taking a 46-42 halftime advantage.

"We rebounded the ball, limited them to one shot and we got our running game going (in the second quarter)," said Nets All-Star forward Kenyon Martin, who had seven points on 3-of-3 shooting in the period. "It was a big part of our win."

The Pistons scored 29 points on 12-of-22 shooting in the first period but were stifled by the Nets' zone defense thereafter, making only 32 percent (18-of-57) of their shots.

"We were struggling a little bit at the start of the game," Jefferson said. "In the last two weeks, our defense has gotten better throughout the game and it showed tonight."

"When they changed up (the defense), they changed the rhythm of the game," Pistons guard Richard Hamilton said. "That's where the game was won."

Kidd finished with 16 points, nine assists and nine rebounds for New Jersey, which is 8-0 under Frank, winning all eight by double digits.

Martin had 13 points and eight rebounds and Aaron Williams grabbed a season-high 13 boards as the Nets held a 54-35 edge on the glass despite playing without center Jason Collins, who sat out with a sprained toe.

Chauncey Billups scored 23 points and Hamilton added 19 for Detroit, which matched a season high with its fourth consecutive loss.

"It's been a tough schedule for us," Hamilton said. "There are times that we have a team down and we just have to keep them down. We let up off the gas pedal and gave them an opportunity. It's hard when teams make runs, especially at home, because they feed off the crowd."

All-Star Ben Wallace had 13 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks, but the Pistons allowed 52 points in the paint without center Mehmet Okur, who did not play due to back spasms.