Carter Leads Raptors Past Pacers

Everybody knew Toronto guard Vince Carter could pour in points. It was his defense that stood out Thursday night.

Carter, the NBA’s leading scorer, had 28 points and helped slow down Indiana’s offense as Toronto scored 100 points in the last three quarters to beat the Pacers, 111-91.

“Vince is a much better defensive player than a lot of people give him credit,” Raptor Coach Lenny Wilkens said.

“He knew he had to chase Reggie [Miller] around the screens. He’s so good, he can play both ends of the floor.”

Indiana’s Miller managed to squeeze off only 11 shots against Carter, and finished with 20 points. Jalen Rose made his first appearance of the season and scored 16 points, but six came in the final quarter when the outcome already had been determined.

The Pacers have lost four in a row for the first time since 1994, and they lost for the first time at home to Toronto. The hosts even lost their coach, Isiah Thomas, who was ejected with 48 seconds left in the third quarter after receiving the first technical fouls of his NBA coaching career.

“That’s the difference between being a young team and learning how to win and being a veteran team that understands how to win,” Rose said.

“We’re totally embarrassed, this won’t be accepted.”

The Pacers led, 16-11, after one quarter--the Raptors’ lowest output in a period this season--while Carter spent four minutes on the bench.

When Carter returned, however, Toronto looked like an entirely different team.

The Raptors (6-5) responded with a 6-0 spurt that gave them a 28-25 lead with 7:37 left in the half, and then Carter’s three-pointer with 3:15 to go ignited a 14-2 run that made it 46-35 at halftime.