Carter Puts on a Show in Return to Toronto

Vince Carter ignored the boos and scored 39 points in his first game in Toronto since being traded, and the New Jersey Nets kept their playoff hopes alive by coming back from a 14-point halftime deficit for a 101-90 victory over the Raptors on Friday night.

Fans booed Carter from the moment he stepped on the court, heckled him during the U.S. national anthem and jeered every time he touched the ball.

Carter was once beloved, but is now reviled because he demanded a trade and acknowledged he didn’t push himself as hard as he should have in Toronto.

Carter was 15 for 26 from the field. He also grabbed nine rebounds, and his four free throws in the final 1:23 helped clinch the victory for the Nets, who moved to within one game of eighth-place Cleveland in the Eastern Conference.

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Washington 119, Cleveland 111 -- Gilbert Arenas, Larry Hughes and Antawn Jamison were too much for the one-man show named LeBron James at Washington.

Arenas scored 33 points and had nine assists, Hughes scored 16 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter and had five steals, and Jamison had 21 points as the Wizards won their third in a row.

James played all 48 minutes and scored 38 points as the Cavaliers lost for the fifth time in seven games.

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Detroit 99, Milwaukee 73 -- The Pistons extended their winning streak to nine games by routing the Bucks at Auburn Hills, Mich. The Bucks, who have lost 13 in a row on the road, lost leading scorer Michael Redd early in the third quarter because of a sore left Achilles’ tendon.

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Philadelphia 90, Indiana 86 -- If Allen Iverson was tired after playing 53 minutes against Miami on Thursday night, it didn’t show against the Pacers at Indianapolis. The NBA scoring leader finished with 43 points to help give the 76ers sole possession of seventh place in the Eastern Conference.

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Minnesota 100, Utah 84 -- The Timberwolves temporarily stayed alive in the Western Conference playoff race by beating the Jazz at Salt Lake City. They needed to win their final four games and have Memphis lose four straight in order to overtake the Grizzlies for the final playoff spot.

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Denver 111, Memphis 102 -- The victory at Denver helped the Nuggets (48-31) match the third-longest winning streak in franchise history -- 10 in a row -- and put them into a tie with Houston for sixth place in the West.

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Chicago 117, Orlando 77 -- With the win at Chicago, the Bulls stayed a game ahead of Washington for fourth place and home-court advantage in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

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Boston 101, Miami 99 -- Paul Pierce’s 20-foot shot with nine seconds left at Boston gave the Celtics their third straight win while handing the Heat its fourth consecutive loss. Shaquille O’Neal scored 34 points for the Heat.

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Seattle 97, New Orleans 72 -- Ray Allen scored 32 points at Seattle to help the SuperSonics end a six-game losing streak and clinch the Northwest Division title. It’s the first division title for Seattle since winning the Pacific Division in 1998.

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Golden State 102, Portland 88 -- The Trail Blazers and Warriors combined for 69 three-point attempts at Oakland -- an NBA record, besting the record of 67 set by the Warriors and Phoenix on April 8. They made 23. Portland’s Damon Stoudamire attempted an NBA-record 21, making five.