Carter & Rose Duel, Raptors Win

Vince Carter and Jalen Rose matched each other shot for shot through regulation and overtime.

The difference in the outcome was that Carter had some help.

Carter scored 45 points Wednesday night, hitting one turnaround jumper after another, as the Toronto Raptors beat the Indiana Pacers 99-98 in overtime.

It was an ex-Pacer who scored the game-winner as Antonio Davis made the second of two free throws with 1.8 seconds left.

Rose scored a career-high 42 points for the Pacers, including the first four in overtime to give them a 96-92 lead. Carter scored the next four, as seemed to be the routine throughout the game, before Rose tied it at 98-98.

"There were six or seven times I was right in (Rose's) face, and he kept hitting them. Normally, somebody would miss that, and he was hitting. And likewise with me," Carter said.

"I look at him as he's going for the Raptors, not as going against anyone. We run some things for him. We know he's going to make shots. All of a sudden at the end there, he got himself charged up. He's a big-time player," said Toronto coach Lenny Wilkens.

Corliss Williamson score 16 points and Davis had a career-high 19 rebounds to go with 10 points. Davis said he didn't feel any pressure on his game-winning free-throws until he missed the first one.

"First I'm thinking make both of them. If I'm making both, we have a great chance of winning. Then I was just really hoping the second one would go in," he said.

Rose, who was 17-of-29 from the floor, was fouled by Williamson as he made a layup with 11.4 seconds left in regulation. He made the free throw, tying the score at 92-92.

Carter then got the ball at midcourt and drove to the basket, but his layup attempt was rejected by Jermaine O'Neal.

Rose said the loss negated his big performance.

"I was just trying to be more aggressive. If we win, it's something I celebrate. I could go home and hang from the chandelier, but we didn't win the game," he said.

Tempers appeared to be short at the outset as Toronto's Charles Oakley and Williamson and Indiana's O'Neal and Reggie Miller were all hit with technicals only seven minutes into the game.

Miller was sent to the bench with 3:48 left in the first after picking up two personal fouls and a technical. He didn't return until there was just under six minutes left in the first half.

He finished with 10 points on only nine shots.

"We were trying to get him in the game. We just never could get him the ball when he had situations where he could shoot. We're not going to win a lot of games with Reggie taking eight or nine shots. That's not good," said Pacers coach Isiah Thomas.

Without Miller, Rose carried the Pacers. He shot 10-of-12, and finished the half with 25 points one more than Carter's total.

Miller's lack of production was one reason why the Pacers went from shooting 63 percent from the floor in the first half to 34 percent in the second.

Travis Best did have a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists, but shot 4-of-18 from the floor.

The Pacers snapped a 31-31 tie with a 15-6 run and led 55-50 at the half.

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