Nets Put Pacers On Brink Of Elimination

INDIANAPOLIS — Vince Carter scored 35 points to help the Nets beat the Indiana Pacers 111–107 yesterday afternoon to put the Pacers on the brink of elimination from the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

Bostjan Nachbar scored 25 points and shot 6-for-6 from 3-point range and Jason Kidd had 12 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds for the Nets.

Jermaine O'Neal led the Pacers with 20 points and Troy Murphy and Danny Granger each scored 17.

Indiana entered the game trailing the Orlando Magic by two games for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference with three games to play. Any combination of a win by Orlando or a loss by the Pacers the rest of the way will eliminate the Pacers.

The Nets shot 51% from the field and made 13 of 23 3-pointers to sweep the season series 4–0. The Pacers shot 12-for-20 from 3-point range and had seven players score in double figures.

A sellout crowd of 18,165 watched the Pacers try to keep their hopes alive. New Jersey led 105–96 after a 3-point play on a dunk by Nachbar with 2:55 to go, causing many of the fans to start filing out of Conseco Fieldhouse.

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RAPTORS 107, KNICKS 105 Chris Bosh scored 23 points and the Toronto Raptors earned homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs with a 107-105 victory over the Knicks last night.

Anthony Parker and Joey Graham each added 19 points for the Raptors, who won their seasonhigh sixth straight game and will be the third seed in the Eastern Conference.

Toronto matched its franchise record of 47 wins, accomplished in 2000–01. They clinched their first Atlantic Division title last month and are going to the playoffs for the first time in five years.

Eddy Curry had 30 points and Steve Francis had 28 for the Knicks, who were eliminated from the playoffs last Friday. New York had lost four straight and 12 of the 14.