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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- Vince Carter drew the ire of
Vancouver fans, not for something he did, but for something he
didn't do.
|  | | Toronto's Vince Carter goes over the top of several Grizzlies to score two of his 25 points. |
Carter scored 25 points to lead the Toronto Raptors to a 101-84
victory over the Vancouver Grizzlies on Sunday.
Carter's decision not to deliver a windmill dunk on a breakaway
in the first half drew boos from Vancouver's sellout crowd. Instead
of the dunk, Carter simply put the ball in off the glass.
"I just fulfilled a dream of mine, where I'm on a fastbreak
and have everybody thinking I'm gonna dunk. I finally had the
courage to do it," said Carter, who also had his Toronto teammates
playfully hollering at him. "I got booed, but I had fun."
The play underscored a contest that was decided early in the
third quarter, when the Raptors built a 24-point lead. Toronto
moved six games above .500 for the second time this season.
The Raptors split a four-game road trip, earning victories over the Grizzlies and Seattle after defeats against Sacramento and the
Los Angeles Lakers. The split enabled Toronto keep its hold on the
seventh playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.
Vancouver could not stop Carter early. He shot 5-for-8 in the
first quarter and finished the first half with 17 points as the
Raptors built a 51-45 lead by the break.
"You really can't do anything but try and put a hand in his
face," said Michael Dickerson, who drew the assignment of guarding
Carter in the first quarter. "But I couldn't contest that shot."
The Grizzlies had more success when Shareef Abdur-Rahim matched
up in the second quarter against Carter.
"I told the guys (at the half) not to fool around and not let
them hang around," said Raptors coach Lenny Wilkens. "I don't
want any team getting second and third shots."
The Raptors moved out to a 60-45 lead in the third period as
Vancouver failed to score for the first 3:28 of the second half.
The Raptors hit 11 of their first 14 shots in the second half
and built their lead to 81-61 by the end of the third quarter.
It was only the second time in nine starts that Carter, who was
lifted early in the fourth quarter, did not score in more than 30
points.
Abdur-Rahim scored 17 points for Vancouver, which had a modest
two-game winning streak halted. It was the first time the Grizzlies
allowed an opponent to score in more than 100 points in five March
starts.
"Game in and game out, play in and play out, we don't seem to
get the same kind of effort," said Abdur-Rahim. "It's
embarrassing, really."
Game notes
Grant Long missed the game due to an ankle injury sustained
Friday against Portland. He was replaced by Kevin Edwards, who made his first
start for the Grizzlies since Nov. 26. The Grizzlies also were without center Bryant Reeves (rotator cuff), who sat out his third
in a row ... The sellout of 19,193 was only the second this season
and the second in four starts for the Grizzlies.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Toronto Clubhouse
Vancouver Clubhouse
RECAPS
New York 86
Miami 83
Philadelphia 97
Boston 91
Toronto 101
Vancouver 84
Sacramento 105
Utah 90
Detroit 95
Indiana 78
Cleveland 124
Milwaukee 110
Phoenix 94
Houston 92
Dallas 111
LA Clippers 93
Seattle 109
LA Lakers 97
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