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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
TORONTO (AP) – Vince Carter's 5,000th career point wasn't as
important as the Toronto Raptors' 45th win.
|  | | Heat guard Bruce Bowen discovered one way to slow down Vince Carter Friday. |
Despite playing with a bruised right wrist he injured on a dunk
in the first half, Carter scored 27 points, leading Toronto to a
94-82 victory over Miami on Friday night, ending the Heat's
five-game winning streak.
"The thing down the stretch that I'm most impressed with is our
defensive intensity," said Carter, who said X-rays showed the
wrist only to be bruised.
"I was frustrated with myself for not being able to dribble the
ball like I wanted to. It hurt like hell the whole game but it's
just bruised," he added.
Carter sealed the victory, scoring 11 points in the final
quarter.
"You've got to suck it up and respond. That's how I tried to
approach it in the fourth quarter," Carter said.
Antonio Davis scored 11 of his 25 points in the decisive third
quarter and added 13 rebounds as the Raptors matched franchise
highs for season victories (45) and home wins (26). Both marks were
set last season.
The Raptors (45-34) stayed in the running for home-court
advantage in the first-round of the playoffs, while the third-place
Heat (48-31) were prevented from securing at least fourth place in
the Eastern Conference.
The Raptors also stayed two games behind the fourth-place New
York Knicks, who beat Atlanta 101-65 Friday.
"We've got a lot of confidence right now. We work hard. We've
got to have that every night. We've got to have that kind of
intensity," said Toronto coach Lenny Wilkens.
The Raptors, coming off Wednesday's 99-87 loss at Detroit in
which they blew a 17-point halftime lead, didn't take anything for
granted against Miami.
Ahead 46-40 at the break, Toronto took command early in the
third quarter, outscoring the Heat 12-6 through the first six
minutes. Miami didn't help itself, committing five turnovers in
that stretch.
Anthony Carter scored 17 for the Heat, who crumbled down the
stretch, going more than four minutes without scoring as Toronto
used an 11-0 run to open a 92-75 lead.
Alonzo Mourning, playing his 10th game since returning from a
kidney disorder that threatened his career, had nine points and six
rebounds in 22 minutes as a reserve.
"We didn't come with a sense of urgency at all," Mourning
said. "We weren't finishing strong. On defensive situations, we
looked lost. We know what we did wrong, we're a veteran ballclub.
We played against a team that wanted it more than we did. There's
no excuse at all.
"We can't stumble into the playoffs."
Guard Tim Hardaway sat out all but three minutes of the second
half after injuring his left foot. Hardaway wouldn't disclose the
extent of the injury and said he hopes to play Sunday against
Orlando.
Game notes
Carter cracked the 5,000-point plateau when he sank two
free throws with 6:21 left in the first quarter. Carter, whose
career total reached 5,021, has played 204 NBA games. Michael
Jordan needed only 161 games to reach 5,000. ... Wilkens isn't a
big fan of the rule changes the NBA passed on Thursday, including
eliminating the ban on zone defenses. "I just don't think we need
to tinker all the time," Wilkens said. "My thing is if you want
it to be a good game, let's stop making the officials have to make
adjustments." ... Riley said before the game he doesn't plan to
push Mourning into the starting lineup or increase the center's
playing time yet.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Miami Clubhouse
Toronto Clubhouse
RECAPS
Washington 113
Orlando 110
Cleveland 97
New Jersey 91
New York 101
Atlanta 65
Indiana 113
Boston 108
Toronto 94
Miami 82
Utah 94
Chicago 83
Dallas 101
Sacramento 97
Denver 108
Golden State 92
Phoenix 109
Seattle 100
Houston 109
Portland 103
LA Clippers 111
Minnesota 105
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Miami's defense can't stop Vince Carter from getting to the hoop.
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RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Vince Carter says the Heat could not keep him out of his game (Courtesy: TSN).
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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