
Vince Carter came back to bite the Raptors once again.
The former Dino had 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Ryan Anderson finished with 21 points to lead the New Jersey Nets to a 94-87 victory last night, sending the Raptors to their second straight National Basketball Association loss. Chris Bosh had 17 points and nine rebounds to lead six Raptors in double figures. But horrible shooting in the fourth quarter did them in, dropping their record to 10-14.
Jason Kapono added 17 points, Jose Calderon 15, Jermaine O'Neal 14, while Jamario Moon and Andrea Bargnani finished with 10 apiece.
Devin Harris added 20 points for the 12-11 Nets.
The Raptors led by as much as 14 points in the first quarter and looked poised to romp to their second consecutive dominant win over Carter and the Nets. But there was no breathing easy for Toronto as the visitors continued to chip away at the lead throughout the night.
Toronto took a 70-63 advantage into the fourth and then went up by nine on a pair of Bargnani free throws.
But that's where their shooting went cold. The Raptors missed 14 straight field goals to start the fourth, allowing the Nets to take a 12-point lead on a basket by Anderson with 2:55 left. A trey by Calderon with 2:35 left was the first field goal for the homeside in the fourth quarter.
A three by Bosh with 58 seconds left made it interesting, cutting the lead to five, but Calderon missed on a trey attempt on Toronto's next possession to give the Nets the win.
Raptors fans are certainly accustomed to Carter winning at the Air Canada Centre. He poured in 39 points in the Nets' 129-127 overtime win last month here, including the shot at the buzzer that sent the game into extra time, and the eventual winning basket.
NOTES: Dinos' newcomer Jake Voskuhl didn't play ... The Raptors host the Dallas Mavericks tomorrow, then don't return to the ACC again until New Year's Eve, when they host Denver.