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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
TORONTO (AP) -- Vince Carter alleviated any fears he might not play in this weekend's All Star game.
|  | | What stitches? Vince Carter scored 36 points despite a cut finger. |
One day after cutting open the middle finger of his left hand,
Carter scored 36 points and led the Toronto Raptors over Atlanta
109-88 Tuesday night for just their second win in 18 games against
the Hawks.
Carter, the leading All-Star vote-getter, hurt the finger while
lifting weights Monday. He needed three stitches to close a
half-inch cut and played with a Band-Aid.
"I didn't think about it all," Carter said. "It was a little
overblown."
Carter scored 12 points in the first quarter and totaled 20 in
the first half as Toronto took a 54-48 lead, converting a
three-point play after a low blow while attempting to dunk over LaPhonso Ellis in the second quarter.
"He had like two stitches on his finger," teammate Antonio
Davis said. "It wasn't that bad."
Toronto began the third quarter on a 19-4 run as Carter scored
10 points, including a 3-pointer that made it 73-52. Carter scored
14 points as Toronto outscored Atlanta 31-14 in the quarter.
"He's a little nervous about the All-Star game," Davis said.
"Everybody is putting so much pressure on him and expecting so
much from him. I just pray that he just goes out there and has fun.
... You can just tell after practice, he's practicing his dunks and
asking everybody about the dunk contest. I just told him, 'Hey go
have fun. You're young, you can jump out of the gym. Everything you
do everybody is going to love anyway so don't worry about it.' "
Dikembe Mutombo led Atlanta with 22 points and 15 rebounds.
Isaiah Rider, who sat out the final five minutes of Atlanta's win over Cleveland on Saturday, was benched for the entire fourth
quarter. Rider, who scored just 12 points on 5-for-13 shooting, sat
alone along the baseline with a towel over his head.
"The frustration level isn't setting in _ it's already there,"
coach Lenny Wilkens about his team.
Game notes
The Raptors had lost their previous eight home games
against Atlanta. Their only previous win against the Hawks came at Atlanta on March 4, 1999. "We beat them once and thought we had arrived," Toronto coach Butch Carter said. ... Doug Christie, playing point guard for most of the game, had 16 points. ... Carter made four of his six 3-point attempts. ... Tracy McGrady did not play because of the flu. ... The Raptors have won six of their past
seven.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Atlanta Clubhouse
Toronto Clubhouse
RECAPS
Toronto 109
Atlanta 88
New Jersey 131
Boston 113
San Antonio 79
Seattle 77
Houston 91
Cleveland 83
Phoenix 94
Vancouver 76
Sacramento 119
Chicago 80
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