Allen Steps Up to Answer Carter

Ray Allen answered Vince Carter’s challenge. Charles Oakley shoved his coach. Tracy McGrady got knocked woozy by a teammate.

And a hot new rivalry was born.

Allen scored 33 points Saturday night as the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Toronto Raptors, 118-97, at Milwaukee in a game featuring a fight and three ejections a night after a similarly physical game between the teams at Toronto.

One night after Carter scorched the Bucks for 47 points in a 115-110 Raptor victory and an unspoken response to Allen’s U.S. Olympic team selection, Allen lit up the Raptors with an array of jumpers and drives.

Meanwhile, Carter scored 24 points.

Allen’s artistry was colored by a series of unpleasant confrontations. Milwaukee’s J.R. Reid and Toronto’s Antonio Davis wrestled and shoved each other midway through the second quarter as the simmering tension between the teams boiled over.

Both were ejected, as was Toronto’s Oakley moments later after he became enraged by a flagrant-foul call and attempted to confront referee Leroy Richardson. Oakley shoved Raptor Coach Butch Carter and teammate Kevin Willis while trying to get at Richardson.

“I just think what happened was incorrect for all parties,” Carter said. “[Consecutive games are] a bad deal, because it ends up turning into a playoff-type situation, and emotions run high.”

The game also featured the near-collapse of the Raptors’ McGrady, who was hit in the head by Willis’ elbow in the second quarter.

McGrady was taken to a hospital, where a CT scan was negative. He made the team’s flight to Charlotte, but a team spokesman said his status for Monday’s game against the Hornets was uncertain.