December 7, 1999

For one night, the Nets finally got it right. They did not self-destruct when victory was at hand. They did not let an early 10-0 deficit doom them for 48 minutes. And when tonight's game was over, the Nets looked at the final score and liked what they saw. Winning for only the third time this season and ending a five-game losing streak, the Nets defeated the Sacramento Kings, one of the National Basketball Association's up-and-coming teams, by 109-95 at Continental Arena. The victory put the Nets' record at a still-dismal 3-15, but they hoped this was the start of better things.

By the time most psychiatrists encounter schizophrenia, its symptoms are already in full flower. But scientists have long surmised that the illness starts much earlier, the demons beginning to nibble at the edges of young people's lives well before the most flagrant psychosis appears. Now researchers are beginning, in a systematic way, to investigate the earliest stages of schizophrenia, attempting to find signs that could predict its onset.

Daniel Serdet, Monaco's chief prosecutor, says Ted Maher, American nurse who worked for Edmond J Safra, has admitted setting fire that killed billionaire banker in his Monte Carlo penthouse; says Maher told police that he had not intended to kill anyone and had fabricated his story that apartment was under attack by two hooded men with knives; says Maher 'wanted to be a hero'; says Safra and his nurse, Vivienne Torrent, could have escaped, but banker, fearing that assailants were after him, refused to leave bathroom where he took refuge even when police and firemen arrived on scene; says Maher will be charged with arson without intent to kill; photo (M)

The version of John Adams and Alice Goodman's ''Nixon in China'' at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on Friday was less than a full staging -- which the piece, like any opera, makes strong claims for -- but more than the ''concert performance'' that had been billed. American and Chinese dignitaries had their own walkways and microphones, on the left and right respectively (if not altogether appropriately). Soloists and chorus had some semblance of costume, and the stage was dressed excitingly in red. Everything was ready in the ambience, and the musicians were excellent. The Brooklyn Philharmonic players addressed themselves alertly to Robert Spano's lively and often up-tempo direction, though tone and balance could have been helped at times if the body of strings had been larger. Among the singers were two members of the original 1987 cast, James Maddalena inimitable as Nixon and Thomas Hammons as Henry Kissinger, along with fine replacements in the other roles. Only the passage of time can be blamed if the piece seemed less thrilling than it did 12 years ago.

As Holiday Customs Merge, Their Symbols Do as Well The December holidays have long been a source of angst for many couples who observe different faiths, and the tug is particularly acute for Christians and Jews whose seasonal celebrations collide head on with Christmas and Hanukkah. But many families are now synthesizing two sets of customs. The marketplace is starting to respond to this pluralistic view by producing what was once taboo: decorations that merge the symbols of two observances. [Page A1.]