Vince Carter scored 21 of his 32 points in the second half and the New Jersey Nets beat the struggling Toronto Raptors 99-90 last night, snapping a four-game losing streak and keeping their faint playoff hopes alive. Despite the win, the Nets' magic number for being eliminated from postseason contention was reduced to two when Atlanta beat Philadelphia earlier yesterday.
Any combination of Nets' losses or Hawks' wins totaling two will eliminate New Jersey from postseason contention for the first time in seven years. Richard Jefferson added 28 points and Devin Harris had 12 points and seven assists as the Nets won for only the fourth time in 11 games. Rasho Nesterovic had 22 points and 14 rebounds to lead the playoff-bound Raptors. (More NBA stories.)