|
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME FLOW
WASHINGTON (AP) – Vince Carter contributed early in the second
half and was content to watch his Toronto Raptors teammates close
out a victory.
|  | | Raptors center Antonio Davis, left, makes his move against the Wizards' Jahidi White. |
Carter, one night after playing a franchise-high 63 minutes,
scored 10 of his 19 points in the third quarter and led the Raptors
to a 106-99 victory over the new-look Washington Wizards on
Saturday night.
"It was important because I was tired," Carter said of the
Raptors' bench one night after a triple-overtime loss to
Sacramento. "I'm not lying, I was tired. I could have played my 35
to 40 minutes, but when you have guys who can come in like Chris
(Childs) and Eric (Montross) and give us big minutes, that's what
you want."
Carter, Antonio Davis and Keon Clark combined for six slam dunks
as the Raptors shrugged off Friday's exhausting loss and built a
60-45 lead in the first half.
"Mental toughness came into play," Raptors coach Lenny Wilkins
said. "We tried to get a good rotation -- give a rest to Oak
(Charles Oakley) and Antonio early, and to Vince late -- and I think
it worked."
Clark finished with 17 points on 8-for-9 shooting. Davis added
16 points as the Raptors shot 51 percent and snapped a two-game
losing streak.
Richard Hamilton led Washington with 23 points. Christian
Laettner, acquired Thursday from Dallas in an eight-player trade
that sent Juwan Howard to the Mavericks, had a season-high 18
points and five rebounds in his debut with the Wizards.
"It felt good to be out there playing a lot," said Laettner,
who scored 12 points in the fourth quarter. "It would feel better
to win, so hopefully we can have a better first half tomorrow
night. We weren't in a good flow the first half. They took it to us
and we were never able to recover."
Mitch Richmond scored 16 points and rookie Courtney Alexander,
also acquired in the Dallas trade, added 13 as the Wizards lost
their third in a row.
"It's a much better situation for me personally," Alexander
said before the game. "Dallas is playing very good basketball
without me. I think the trade benefitted both teams. The Mavericks
are in position to make the playoffs for the first time in more
than a decade, and I understand the playoffs are much more
important than pleasing Courtney Alexander.
"Besides, Coach Nelson is not a big believer in playing
rookies, so I'm here."
Richmond and Chris Whitney scored Washington's first eight
points of the second half. Jahidi White blocked a shot by Carter
and added a three-point play as the Wizards pulled to within 67-56
with 8:56 left in the third.
Former Wizard Tracy Murray hit a 3-point buzzer-beater to give
the Raptors a 96-78 lead after three quarters.
Washington cut its deficit to 10 points, 104-94, on a pair of
free throws by Hubert Davis, but Morris Peterson countered with a
reverse layup with 48 seconds left to seal the victory.
"We are just trying to jell and make a playoff run," Carter
said.
The Wizards are trying to get acquainted with each other.
"It's like a brand-new team out there," Laettner said of
having four new Wizards on the court together in the final period.
"There are five new guys and we're all trying to fit in and figure
out the plays."
Richmond agreed.
"Laettner gave us a lift and Courtney Alexander helped us get
back into the game," Richmond said. "It's good for them to get
some minutes and feel like a part of the team.
Game notes
Peterson, who attended the funeral of Mateen Cleaves'
brother, Herbert, in Flint, Mich., early Saturday, arrived at the
game in the first quarter. He was replaced in the starting lineup
by Murray. ... At halftime, the Wizards presented Mitch Richmond
with the ball he used to score his 20,000th career point on Feb. 15
at San Antonio. ... Murray offered a surefire solution to the
Wizards' woes: Relocate the team. "Move the franchise, move the
franchise," Murray said. "This is Redskins country, it's not the
Wizards' country. No one is going to get support here like the
Redskins. And anybody who doesn't, needs to move."
 Send this story to a friend
|
|
ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Toronto Clubhouse
Washington Clubhouse
RECAPS
Toronto 106
Washington 99
Charlotte 86
Philadelphia 85
Miami 75
New Jersey 70
Chicago 90
Vancouver 75
San Antonio 107
Dallas 104
Denver 85
Atlanta 82
LA Clippers 123
Portland 120
|
