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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
CHICAGO (AP) -- The Toronto Raptors don't need Vince Carter and his high-flyin' dunks to win every game.
|  | | With 14, Charles Oakley led three Raptors in double-figures rebounding. |
Sometimes, a bunch of old guys who can still crash the boards
will do just fine.
With Carter out nursing a sore knee, the Raptors got big games
from just about everybody else on their roster as they beat the
Bulls 90-80 Saturday.
Antonio Davis and Alvin Williams led six Raptors in double
figures with 15 points each, and Toronto outrebounded the Bulls
50-34. The Raptors had a whopping 20-6 edge on the offensive glass.
Charles Oakley did most of the banging, grabbing 14 rebounds to go with his 10 points. Davis had 12 rebounds, and Keon Clark had 11
boards in just 17 minutes.
"Our leaders really stepped up," said Morris Peterson, who had 12 points. "Mark Jackson, Antonio -- everybody did their part. Little things like getting to loose balls will win games."
Ron Mercer had 23 points for the Bulls, who extended their
season-long losing streak to 11 games. Elton Brand added 19 points
and nine rebounds.
The Bulls lost despite outshooting the Raptors, 45 percent to 40 percent.
"They thoroughly kicked us," Bulls coach Tim Floyd said. "Usually in this league, if you are leading in shooting percentage and the other team is struggling, you will get your share of wins. Tonight it did not happen."
Carter has been struggling with "jumper's knee" since Nov. 26, and coach Lenny Wilkens decided he could use another night of rest. Though he's averaging 28.4 points per game, the Raptors barely seemed to notice he was gone.
It might not have been a particularly pretty game with the
Raptors shooting 40 percent, but at least it was a complete one.
Jackson dished out 12 assists and scored 12 points. Dell Curry
added 12. When he wasn't rebounding, Oakley was keeping Brand in
check.
"We knew Vince wasn't playing and that factored in," Davis
said. "But we can't let up. We had lost our last two, lost some
ground and had to come out and play hard. We made sure to get our
hands on the ball."
Despite their poor shooting, the Raptors managed to keep a
comfortable cushion for most of the game. Fred Hoiberg got the
Bulls within 52-49 on a 16-foot jumper with 9:52 left in the third,
but Peterson converted a three-point play and Chicago never cut the
margin to less than four again.
Chicago came within 79-74 on Elton Brand's free throw with 4:39
left. But the Bulls received a technical for illegal defense -- their second of the game -- and Williams made the free throw.
Davis followed that up with a three-point play with 2:56 left,
and Toronto had breathing room again.
"We really wanted to take advantage of (Carter's absence),"
Hoiberg said. "But they still had a lot of veterans out there and
did a good job of playing a balanced game."
In the first half, Clark gave Toronto a 39-33 lead with 5:32
left in the half. But Ron Artest, who sat out the last two games
with tendinitis in his right knee, sparked a 10-5 run with a
jumper, a steal and another jumper.
Brand gave the Bulls their first lead since the opening seconds,
making a pair of free throws with 2:08 left.
But Peterson hit on a short jumper, and Jackson scored on a
wide-open driving layup to give Toronto a 48-45 lead at the half.
Game notes
The Bulls had a moment of silence before the game for
former Marquette coach Al McGuire, who died Friday of a blood
disorder. Fans were asked to stand as the screens on the Jumbotron
flashed "Al McGuire, 1928-2000." ... There were no wild
celebrations for Vince Carter's 24th birthday Friday. No mild
celebrations, either. "I don't expect the world to stop just
because it's my birthday," Carter said. "It's a chance to relax
and sit back and enjoy the day. All I did was sleep, watch TV and
played my video games. ... It was great." ... Artest finished with
13 points and three rebounds.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Toronto Clubhouse
Chicago Clubhouse
RECAPS
San Antonio 99
Utah 86
Toronto 90
Chicago 80
Minnesota 93
Portland 80
Miami 81
Orlando 59
Houston 110
Charlotte 97
Atlanta 101
Cleveland 90
Washington 89
Phoenix 82
Detroit 108
Milwaukee 103
Denver 102
Dallas 100
Seattle 106
New Jersey 97
Sacramento 101
LA Clippers 89
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Vince Carter Official Site
Mark Jackson Official Site
Lenny Wilkens Official Site
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