VINCE VANQUISHED IN CROWD PLEASER
RAPTORS SPOIL RETURN OF SHOWMAN CARTER, WHO ‘CHANGED THE GAME FOR A WHOLE COUNTRY’
Vince Carter returned to Toronto on Sunday afternoon and as a tribute, neither the Raptors, nor the Sacramento Kings played any defence.
At least in the first half, that is, with the Kings hitting 11- of-13 shots to begin the game and both teams notching more than 60 points by halftime.
But the Raptors stepped up in the third, forcing seven turnovers, to ruin what might have been the final Canadian appearance by Carter, with a 108-93 win.
The Raptors eventually pulled away, to improve to 11-1 at the ACC and 12- 4 against Western Conference opponents. But Carter was the story. He was given the start by his friend and head coach Dave Joerger, his first as a member of the Kings.
Ever the showman, Carter responded to a massive pre- game ovation by nailing his first shot, a classic jumper with that unforgettable form and then by smacking a layup attempt by DeMar DeRozan off of the glass. Carter wasn’t done. The crowd wasn’t pleased that he didn’t dunk on a semibreakaway, laying the ball in instead, but he had a sturdy rejection at the rim of 7- footer Jonas Valanciunas. Carter ended up with four points in 25 minutes of playing time.
The Kings led by two at the half thanks to a banked- in, buzzerbeating three- pointer by George Hill, before the Raptors put the clamps on the visitors.
Sacramento was held to 14 points in the third and just 16th in the fourth.
Carter checked back in late, before leaving in the final seconds to a standing ovation from the remainder of the crowd. Afterward, Carter said that he didn’t think his Toronto story was over yet.
“It’s just one of those things, it’ ll happen, for sure,” he said of a Raptors reunion.
“Somehow, whether it’s one day or something, it’ ll happen. It’s supposed to happen, I think. I can say that now. I’ve had a lot of people say it’s supposed to happen, so now I guess I have to believe.”
The Raptors told Carter’s agent they wanted to bring him home last summer, before the Kings swept in with a massive, one-year offer. Carter admitted that he isn’t sure whether he will keep playing after this season, but Kyle Lowry hoped this wasn’t the end.
“Vince, his number will be retired. He’s a guy I’ ve always looked up to, respected, someone that has earned the right to have his jersey retired in the Raptors’ arena,” Lowry said.
“What can you say? Tip the hat to the guy that pretty much changed the game of basketball for a whole country. I hope this was not the last time of him playing basketball in this building.”
Carter was matched up for much of the matinee by rookie OG Anunoby, who was in diapers when Carter first suited up in Toronto. Carter had scored 22 in that one, the final Raptors game ever played at Maple Leaf Gardens.
In this one, Anunoby calmly sank three- pointers and easily was the top defender on the floor for either side.
Spot starter C. J. Miles couldn’t get his jumper to fall, but the rest of the first unit was strong offensively and the bench, seemingly rejuvenated by the return of Delon Wright in the previous game, was outstanding. DeRozan had 21 points.
The Kings had been off since Thursday and came in with a lot of energy.
The team rested Zach Randolph, who Joerger had labelled its best player pre- game, while Toronto was without Serge Ibaka, who had a sore knee.
Ibaka had rounded into form after a slow start to the season, averaging 18.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in seven games this month, while shooting 57 per cent on three-pointers.
Toronto returns to the road for back- to- back tilts in Philadelphia and Charlotte, starting on Wednesday.
HE’S EARNED THE RIGHT TO HAVE HIS JERSEY RETIRED IN RAPTORS’ ARENA.