The Nets were worried about energy, about sustaining themselves at home and about their play against teams with lesser records.

And then the Minnesota Timberwolves showed up at the Meadowlands.

No worries.

Vince Carter had proclaimed the next team would have to pay for the Nets' rancid effort in the previous game. So Minnesota paid. The Nets at times were far from perfect, but the Timberwolves were even further away. As a result, the Nets rolled to their most lopsided victory of the season, a 113-84 romp last night.

"I made the statement, so of course I had to go out and back it up by just coming ready to play and being aggressive," said Carter, who led seven Nets in double figures - including all five starters - with 18 points.

Carter was aggressive. Ditto the Nets - at both ends. They made a season-high 14 3-point shots (four by 16-point scorer Yi Jianlian) and they held the T'wolves (4-14) to 84 points, a season-low for an opponent. The Nets shot .527 overall and received Brook Lopez's fourth double-double this season.

"What did I say the other night?" asked Devin Harris (16 points, five assists) "I said we will make shots."

The Nets (10-8), who got 12 points from Keyon Dooling and 11 from Bobby Simmons, threatened to run away and hide in the first half. But Minnesota, without Mike Miller (ankle) stayed within 50-41 at halftime because of Randy Foye (20 points) and Al Jefferson (17 points, 12 rebounds), the only T'wolves with field goals in the first 14:11.

Then came the third quarter. And with it, the end of any suspense. The Nets, who usually stink in the third, were good this time, allowing them to improve to 4-5 at home and against losing teams. The Nets came out of the third up 83-66, with five players already in double figures. With a game in Philadelphia tonight, the Nets welcomed the stress-free fourth and the rest. The 29-point spread was the largest margin at any time this season.

"We went to half up by nine and we should have been up by more, so we put an emphasis on staying aggressive and executing on offense and defense," said Jarvis Hayes (14 points). "We played pretty damn good defense."

Lopez embodied the energy the Nets lacked Tuesday when they were humbled by Washington. On several occasions, he simply outworked the field.

"I had to be more aggressive. In the first half, there were layups I fumbled and I went to the hole soft. So I felt the second half I had to change that," said Lopez, who claimed Carter's proclamation filtered to the whole team. "We felt the same thing. No matter who it was. It just happened to be the Timberwolves. Whoever we played had to pay."

Lopez credited his teammates, praising Carter and joking: "Just wanted to give him a shout out. He doesn't get enough publicity."

It was a fun night. After all, somebody paid.

*

Former Net Jason Collins suffered a torn triceps tendon and brother Jarron received an elbow injury when the two were in a golf cart that flipped in September. "Considering what happened with Rodney Rogers (paralyzed from the neck down in an ATV accident), we were fortunate," said Collins, in the Meadowlands as a visitor for the first time.

Lopez joked about facing Collins, a fellow Stanford product who also has a twin brother playing in the NBA: "It's one of those moments that makes you step back and say, 'My God, I'm in the NBA.' "

Elton Brand (hamstring) sat for the Sixers last night, and is expected out tonight when the Nets travel to Philadelphia. . . . Josh Boone (ankle) said he's hopeful to practice Monday after missing his 11th straight game.