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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Vince Carter made an immediate impact on
the Toronto Raptors following the first extended absence of his
career.
|  | | Vince Carter returned with a flourish Friday night, with 29 points, nine rebounds and five assists to lead the Raptors to victory. |
Carter had 29 points and nine rebounds in his first appearance
after missing five games due to a leg injury and the Raptors
defeated the Golden State Warriors 108-92 on Friday night.
"That's the longest I've ever sat out," said Carter, who
strained his left quadriceps tendon. "It seemed like a whole year
to me. I was just excited about being back."
Antonio Davis recorded his sixth straight double-double with 21
points and 10 rebounds and Corliss Williamson added 22 points as
the Raptors (10-9) beat the Warriors for the fifth straight time.
Antawn Jamison and Larry Hughes each scored 28 points for the
Warriors (6-14), who lost for the third time in four games.
Jamison, who had 51 points in each of his last two games, was
attempting to become the first player since Michael Jordan in
1986-87 to score 50 or more points in three straight.
"I just missed some easy shots," said Jamison, a teammate of
Carter's at North Carolina. "It wasn't anything Toronto did
different. I rushed it a little bit."
Carter's return was a welcome relief for Toronto, which lost
four of the five games he missed. The Raptors also had to make due
without forward Charles Oakley the previous three games.
Oakley came back after serving a three-game suspension for
punching Los Angeles Clippers guard Jeff McInnis before last
Friday's game.
"Any time you lose your best player you feel the effects,"
said Toronto coach Lenny Wilkens. "He's a huge dimension to take
out of our offense. When you get it back, people feed off that."
Carter energized the Raptors' offense. Toronto scored more than
100 points just once (in an overtime win against the Clippers) in
his absence and averaged 89.6 points without him. The Raptors also
endured a season-low 11 points in a quarter during his absence.
"After about five minutes I settled down and just played
basketball," said Carter. "I tried to play with confidence and I
didn't think about the injury. If I thought I was hurting the team,
I would have taken myself out of the lineup."
Carter was injured on Nov. 26 against Chicago. With him in the
lineup, the Raptors average more than 97 points a game.
Carter scored 11 of his 18 first-half points in the
second
quarter to help Toronto maintain its lead for most of the game.
"I'm getting better on defense," said Hughes, who guarded
Carter most of the night. "I was just trying to make him take
tough shots. This was a big letdown. We didn't play like we
should."
The Warriors tied it at 15 on Marc Jackson's layup with 4:14
remaining in the first quarter, but the Raptors scored the next 12
points to take a 27-15 lead into the second quarter. Williamson
scored 10 of his points in the first quarter.
Toronto led by as many as 16 in the second quarter, and took a
57-46 lead into halftime.
The first half also featured technical fouls on the Warriors'
Jackson and Bob Sura, and both a flagrant foul and technical on
Toronto's Kevin Willis.
Game notes
Golden State's Erick Dampier missed his first game of the
season with soreness in his left knee. ... Warriors forward Chris
Mills missed his third straight game with a sore right ankle. ...
The Raptors are 8-0 when scoring 100 points or more, and 8-0 when
leading after three quarters. ... Warriors point guard Mookie
Blaylock played under Wilkens for seven years in Atlanta. ... The
Raptors snapped a four-game losing streak on the road. ... The five
games Carter missed were the first of his career. ... Willis also
recorded a double-double with 13 rebounds and 10 points. The
Warriors have been outrebounded six straight games.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Toronto Clubhouse
Golden State Clubhouse
RECAPS
Indiana 104
Boston 91
Charlotte 92
LA Clippers 87
Miami 80
Atlanta 76
New Jersey 86
Phoenix 84
Dallas 105
Chicago 86
Philadelphia 107
Portland 94
Toronto 108
Golden State 92
Seattle 103
LA Lakers 95
Sacramento 111
Houston 98
 FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Vince Carter Official Site
Mark Jackson Official Site
Lenny Wilkens Official Site
Antawn Jamison Official Site
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