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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
TORONTO (AP) -- His hip and legs were hurting and he was having
an off night shooting. But the game was on the line, so Vince
Carter got the ball and Toronto got an important victory.
Carter hit an 8-foot baseline jumper with 7.6 seconds left in
overtime Tuesday night, giving the Raptors a 94-92 victory over the
Detroit Pistons and keeping the Raptors' hopes alive for home-court
advantage in the playoffs.
"I had to (stay in there)," said Carter, who hurt his hip when
he was knocked to the floor by Ben Wallace with three minutes left
in regulation. "This was an important game for us. Bumps and
bruises have to go to the side until after the game."
Carter's game-winner gave him 21 points on 6-for-22 shooting and
gave Toronto (46-35) its 27th home victory of the season, a
franchise record.
"It didn't matter how I was playing," said Carter, who drove
past Wallace and Jerry Stackhouse and laid in a finger roll with
2:12 left in the extra session to pull Toronto to one at 90-89.
"We were still in the game and had a chance to win. It makes a
person feel good who's not shooting the ball well and they still
give you the ball in the last seconds."
Detroit (32-49), out of the playoffs for the first time in five
years, made it tough. Stackhouse had 22 points, Corliss Williamson
17 and Wallace had 28 rebounds.
"We had every opportunity to win the game," said Wallace, who
leads the league in total rebounds with 1,043. "We missed shots
and they converted. We have one more game left and the I can shut
down."
The game was tied five times in the fourth quarter. Brian
Cardinal hit a shot along the baseline and converted a
three-point play to tie it at 80 with 3:41 left in regulation.
Each time the game was tied, the Raptors gained the lead and the
Pistons had to come back. Williamson's tip off a miss by Stackhouse
tied the game at 84 with 48 seconds left in regulation and sent it
into the extra session.
After Wallace's layup off a feed from Williamson knotted it at
87 with 3:11 left in the overtime, Chucky Atkins, who finished with
14 points, hit a 3-pointer and the Raptors looked finished.
Carter, hobbling with an injured leg, hit a finger roll to help Toronto close to a point. After Dana Barros hit a runner in the lane,
Alvin Williams hit a 3-pointer off a feed from Oakley to tie it
with 44.1 seconds left and set up Carter's heroics.
Toronto is in the playoffs for the second time in the
franchise's six-year history, but the Raptors' first-round opponent
is still up in the air because of the muddle that is the Eastern
Conference.
With just one more day left in the regular season, Toronto can
finish fourth, fifth or sixth and holds its fate in its own hands.
If the Raptors win their season finale at Washington on Wednesday
night, they can finish no worse than fifth and will get fourth if
New York loses to Detroit on Wednesday.
"It's a very important game," said Antonio Davis, who had 16
points and 11 rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter for
Toronto, his team-leading 36th double-double of the season.
"We have to go out with the same type of effort. Hopefully,
some shots will fall. I think we're going to be fine. Washington is
a team that's beatable, even when they're playing well. We have to
just go out and not put too much pressure on ourselves."
Game notes
The Raptors have a better road record against the Pistons
(4-7) than at home in the Air Canada Centre (2-9). Toronto's only
home victory over Detroit was an 89-85 triumph last season. ... A win
Wednesday at Washington would give the Raptors 20 road victories,
one more than the franchise record set last season. A victory over
Washington also would give Toronto a four-game series sweep of the
Wizards. ... Jerry Stackhouse leads the league in free throws made
with 656, shooting 82 percent. ... Detroit leads the league in
rebounds with an average of 45.40. ... Pistons have 445 blocks,
compared to 273 for all of last season.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Detroit Clubhouse
Toronto Clubhouse
RECAPS
Toronto 94
Detroit 92
Atlanta 122
Washington 119
Miami 91
Milwaukee 89
Chicago 100
New Jersey 94
Philadelphia 111
Indiana 105
Houston 114
Minnesota 87
Utah 97
LA Clippers 92
San Antonio 99
Portland 93
LA Lakers 108
Denver 91
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