Raptors beat Carter and Nets

Chris Bosh collected 16 points and 12 rebounds while Milt Palacio netted 13 for the Raptors, who won for just the fourth time in their last 12 games. Rafer Alston and Donyell Marshall each chipped in 11 points, while Morris Peterson contributed 10 for Toronto, which captured just its fifth road win of the season.

Vince Carter, who faced his former team for the first time since being dealt in mid-December, struggled on the night. The All-Star forward scored 22 points on just 8-of-25 shooting, including 0-for-3 from beyond the arc for the Nets, who started the second half of the season on a down note.

"I think we could’ve played better," said Carter. "We’ve played better."

Carter added seven boards and four assists, but never seemed to find his rhythm. Jason Kidd contributed 20 points and eight assists as New Jersey has now dropped four of six.

"It’s easy to say its one game, but we only have 28 games left," said Kidd. "If this is the way we’re going to play and go out there to get our stats, I’ll sit there and watch the young guys. There’s no need to waste our energy if everybody is not going to show up."

Carter was sent from Toronto to New Jersey on December 17 in exchange for center Alonzo Mourning, center-forward Aaron Williams, forward Eric Williams and two first-round draft picks. Mourning has since been bought out of his contract, while neither Aaron nor Eric Williams has made much impact on the Raptors. Meanwhile, Carter has sparked a resurgence for the Nets.

Entering the game, Carter was registering 26.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists per contest since the trade to the Nets.

After both teams headed into the locker room with the score tied, 43-43, Toronto would take control of the contest in the third quarter. With the score knotted up at 52, Toronto gained the lead for good in the frame.

Peterson’s jumper ignited a 13-5 burst and Rafael Araujo’s layup capped it, giving the Raptors a comfortable 65-57 cushion with less than six minutes remaining in the quarter.

Toronto would then head into the fourth with a 71-64 advantage and cruise from there. Marshall’s trey would push the advantage to 15, 79-64, with less than eight minutes to go. The Raptors continued to pour it on as the margin grew as high as 19, 95-76, on Palacio’s three-point play at the 2:51 mark of the game.

The home team raced out to a 19-11 lead, but the Raptors answered with a quick 8-0 surge to pull even. Peterson’s jumper capped the spurt, making it 19-19 late in the opening quarter. New Jersey would then lead 21-19 after 12 minutes of play.

Trailing 32-31 in the second, Toronto used a 12-3 spurt to take an eight-point lead. Bosh’s two free throws ended the run, staking the Raptors to a 43-35 lead with less than three minutes in the first half.

New Jersey, though, closed the stanza on a 8-0 spurt, capped by Ron Mercer’s layup as time expired in the half, knotting the game at 43 as both teams headed into the locker room.

Carter paced the Nets with nine points, while Rose led all players with 13 points at the break.

"I’m sure he (Carter) was a little tired from the All-Star weekend," said Rose. "While he was throwing himself dunks off the backboard, I was drinking fruity drinks on the beach, so I was a little more rested."