NBA Game Summary - Toronto at New Jersey

12.3.2005

East Rutherford, NJ (Basketball News) - Chris Bosh scored a season-high 29 points and grabbed 13 boards to lead the Toronto Raptors past the New Jersey Nets, 95-82, at Continental Airlines Arena.

Morris Peterson also netted a season-high 24 points for the Raptors, winners of two straight after a six-game losing streak. Charlie Villanueva contributed 12 points off the bench for Toronto, which won for just the third time this season and second time on the road.

Jason Kidd had 17 points, six assists and six rebounds for the Nets, who lost their second straight game. Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson each netted 15 points in the loss. Jefferson also had 10 rebounds.

With the two teams tied 27-27 after the first quarter, the game stayed close early in the second with Peterson’s three-point basket giving Toronto a 40-38 lead with 6:53 left in the period. The Raptors would never trail after that and Bosh’s jumper gave Toronto a 51-47 edge with 2:32 left. The Raptors took a 56-50 advantage into the third.

Kidd would make it a 60-57 deficit with a layup, and Jefferson’s alley-oop from Kidd made it a one-point game with 6:35 left in the third. However, the Raptors responded with an 11-2 run that was capped by a Jose Calderon three- pointer for a 71-61 contest and Kidd connected on a three-pointer for a 71-64 game heading into the fourth.

New Jersey opened up the fourth with a 7-2 spurt to pull within 73-71 just under three minutes into the frame. After the teams traded a set of free throws, Calderon connected on a three-pointer to extend the Raptors to a 78-73 edge with 7:05 remaining.

The Nets would battle back and tie the contest though with 4:11 remaining after Jefferson’s layup and free throw made it 80-80. However, New Jersey would then go cold from the floor as the Raptors ran off eight straight points for an 88-80 edge with 1:19 remaining. Calderon started the spurt with a basket and Peterson followed with a three-pointer.

The late spurt proved to be the difference as Toronto connected on 7-of-8 free throws down the stretch for the victory.

Carter briefly left the game with just over eight minutes left in the third with a right ankle injury but returned...Calderon ended with eight points and eight assists...Jeff McInnis added 12 points off the bench and Nenad Krstic had 10 points for the Nets...Toronto hit 50 percent (5-of-10) from behind the arc...The Raptors held a slight rebound edge at 40-38...Toronto’s Mike James missed the game because of lower back soreness.

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