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  Friday, Mar. 24 7:00pm ET
Charlotte's Mason works Carter for 20
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

TORONTO (AP) -- A distracted Vince Carter played so poorly he wanted to take himself out of the game.

Eddie Jones scored 25 points and Charlotte held Carter to 18 Friday night as the Hornets handed the Toronto Raptors their third straight loss, 102-84.

"It's tough to stay focused when everybody is putting so much emphasis on the wrong things," Carter said.

Vince Carter, Baron Davis
Hornets rookie Baron Davis rejects Toronto's Vince Carter from behind.

Carter, who accepted an invitation to replace injured Tom Gugliotta on the U.S. Olympic team for the Sydney Games on Friday, was 4-for-16 from the field. He saw his streak of 23 straight games with 20 or more points end.

"There is a lot going around here. Outside things are distracting," Carter said. "When it goes like this I just want to beat myself in the face sometimes. There were a couple of times I wanted to take myself out because I was felt I was hurting the team."

Anthony Mason, who frequently posted up Carter, had 20 points and nine rebounds, and Derrick Coleman added 19 points and 12 rebounds. Elden Campbell had 14 points and nine rebounds, and David Wesley scored 12.

"Not only was Vince off, but he was taking some really tough shots," Wesley said. "They were just out of sync."

Charlotte moved within two games of the Raptors for second place in the Central Division.

"Mason was posting deep and going to work," Charlotte coach Paul Silas said. "And Vince was just missing shots."

Muggsy Bogues brought Toronto within five with a jumper late in the third quarter, but Coleman sparked a 21-4 run with a 3-pointer off the glass. The decisive run included a three-point play and jumper by Mason, a 3-pointer and a jump shot by Jones, and three jumpers by Eddie Robinson.

Robinson's last jump shot made it 88-66 with 9:15 remaining.

"It was a tough time to run into Mason and Coleman. They're playing so well, and Vince is not shooting well," Toronto coach Butch Carter said.

Carter started 0-for-8 from the field before making three consecutive 3-pointers in the final 3:19 of the first half as the Raptors cut Charlotte's 13-point lead to five.

Game notes
Carter is dunkless in his last three games. ... The Hornets have won two straight ... The last time Carter was held below 20 points was Feb. 3 at San Antonio. ... The Hornets outrebounded Toronto 48-38. ... Charlotte shot 49 percent from the field, while Toronto shot 36 percent. ... The Hornets outscored Toronto 38-18 in the paint.

 


ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard

Charlotte Clubhouse

Toronto Clubhouse


Carter accepts invite to play on U.S. Olympic team


RECAPS
Philadelphia 117
Boston 115

Charlotte 102
Toronto 84

Minnesota 116
New Jersey 115

New York 95
Atlanta 83

Orlando 112
Houston 96

Miami 99
Milwaukee 87

Chicago 70
Denver 68

Utah 98
Seattle 95

Portland 96
Golden State 83

LA Lakers 109
Phoenix 101

Sacramento 113
Detroit 103