EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Nov. 12 (AP) -- Chris Paul made the tiebreaking layup with 2.6 seconds left and finished with a season-high 27 points, leading the New Orleans Hornets to an 84-82 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Monday night.

Paul added seven assists and six rebounds in his marquee point guard matchup with Jason Kidd. He had another huge play shortly before his last basket, coming up with a steal after his own miss and finding Morris Peterson, who converted a four-point play to tie it with a minute left.

Tyson Chandler had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Hornets (6-2), who won on back-to-back nights following their first two losses of the season.

Richard Jefferson scored a season-high 32 points for the Nets, but he was shut out in the fourth quarter after a huge third. Kidd finished with 14 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.

New Jersey played without Vince Carter, who sprained his ankle Saturday in a loss to Boston and is out indefinitely. Antoine Wright, who started for Carter, was just short with a potential tying jumper before the buzzer.

Nenad Krstic had 12 points and 10 rebounds in his best game of the season after he missed the final 56 games of last season with a knee injury. He had been averaging just 6.5 points and 4.2 rebounds.

However, Krstic missed two free throws with the game tied with 42 seconds to play, then missed a jumper that gave the Hornets a chance to win it.

New Orleans controlled the first two quarters, but Jefferson scored 16 points -- equaling the Hornets' total -- as the Nets turned around the game in the third.

New Jersey eventually went ahead by 11 on Wright's bucket with under 5 minutes to play. But Paul made a 3-pointer to trigger a 10-1 spurt that pulled the Hornets to 80-78 on David West's basket with 2:11 left.

Paul entered the game averaging a league-high 11.1 assists, with Kidd just behind at 10.5. Kidd claimed the starting point guard spot on the U.S. national team last summer that the injured Paul manned for most of the 2006 world championships, and Hornets coach Byron Scott knew his young star would be up for this matchup.

"He likes the challenge, there is no doubt about that,'' Scott said before the game. "He is a young man that likes the history of the NBA, so he has watched Jason and all these great point guards and he knows what type of player he is. He loves the challenge. It is not going to take a whole lot to get him to play a game tonight.''

Paul got off to a quick start, scoring 13 points in the first quarter to help New Orleans open a 26-21 lead. Peja Stojakovic hit all three 3-point attempts in the period, then nailed another one with 5:01 remaining in the half to give the Hornets their largest lead, 42-29.

New Orleans led 49-37 at the half, but the Nets quickly got back into it as Jefferson asserted himself in the third. He had eight points in a 12-4 spurt that brought New Jersey within one, then hit a 3-pointer and converted a three-point play to give the Nets a 64-61 lead, their first since it was 2-0.

The Hornets scored four straight to regain the lead, but Kidd drilled a 3 with 56 seconds left and the Nets brought a 67-65 lead to the final period.

Notes: This was the fourth game Carter has missed since Nets acquired him from Toronto on Dec. 17, 2004. The Nets lost the previous three. ... Scott improved to 2-5 vs. the Nets, the team he led to consecutive NBA finals appearances in 2002-03. ... Jefferson entered the night sixth in the league in scoring with 26 points per game. He has led the Nets in scoring in all seven games this season.