Vince Carter

(not including last night's game) ■When, where: Tonight, 8, at TD Garden. ■TV, radio: CSN, ESPN, WEEI (850, 93.7). ■Scoring: Dirk Nowitzki 19.0, Jason Terry 14.3, Vince Carter 8.9. ■Rebounds: Brendan Haywood 6.4, Nowitzki 5.2, Shawn Marion 5.2. ■Assists: Jason Kidd 4.5, Terry 3.9, Delonte West 3.1. ■Head to head: This is the first of two meetings. The Celtics went 0-2 against Dallas last season. ■Miscellany: Kidd has been out of the lineup since injuring his back in Friday's loss to San Antonio.

Luol Deng scored 22 points, Richard Hamilton added 19 and the Chicago Bulls held off a fourth-quarter rally to beat the Dallas Mavericks 93-83 on Saturday night. The victory by the Bulls (48-16) gave them a 2 1-2 game lead over Miami for the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Chicago has two regular-season games left, against Indiana and Cleveland. Bulls star guard Derrick Rose returned to the lineup after sitting out three games with a right foot/ankle injury and he had 11 points with eight assists in 32 minutes.

Dirk Nowitzki went over 23,000 career points, Vince Carter had his highest-scoring game in Dallas and the Mavericks stretched their winning streak to four games with a 102-76 victory over Milwaukee on Friday night. The defending NBA champion Mavericks (7-5) are finally on a roll after an 0-3 start. Nowitzki became the 23rd NBA player with 23,000 points. He finished with 11 and his 23,008 career points are third among active players behind Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett. Brandon Jennings scored 19 points for the Bucks (4-7)

Rudy Gay scored 25 points, Zach Randolph added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and the Memphis Grizzlies built a big early lead and held on to beat the Dallas Mavericks 94-89 on Saturday night. Gilbert Arenas added 14 points and made three 3-pointers, while Mike Conley finished with 12 points for Memphis, which won its second straight and seventh in the last nine games. Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 17 points and eight rebounds, and Brandan Wright added 16 points. Vince Carter had 14 points, while Shawn Marion finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds in the Mavericks' second...

Rudy Gay scored 25 points, Zach Randolph added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and the Memphis Grizzlies built a big early lead and held on to beat the Dallas Mavericks 94-89 on Saturday night. Gilbert Arenas added 14 points and made three 3-pointers, while Mike Conley finished with 12 points for Memphis, which won its second straight and seventh in the last nine games. Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 17 points and eight rebounds, and Brandan Wright added 16 points. Vince Carter had 14 points, while Shawn Marion finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds in the Mavericks' second...

Dwight Howard had 22 points and 17 rebounds, Vince Carter added 21 points, and the Orlando Magic thumped the Atlanta Hawks, 93-76, on the road last night. The Hawks, attempting to tie Phoenix for the best record, dropped to 11-4. They missed a chance to improve to 8-0 at home for the first time since 1993-94. Orlando grabbed its sixth win in seven games. Atlanta, which has dropped two straight following a seven-game winning streak, blew a 14-point lead after Joe Johnson (22 points)

DALLAS - While Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks were on the court celebrating the championship they won over LeBron James and Dwyane Wade last season, the Miami Heat were gathered in another part of the building. It wasn't because they dreaded watching the ceremony, they insisted. They were simply getting ready to show everyone why they are favored to win it all this season. In yesterday's opener against Dallas, James and Wade led a series of scoring waves that put Miami ahead by 35 points midway through the third quarter, the lead peaking when James soared to the rim...

INDIANAPOLIS -- All-Star Vince Carter was traded by the Toronto Raptors to the New Jersey Nets for Alonzo Mourning, Eric Williams, Aaron Williams, and a pair of first-round draft picks yesterday. Carter, on the injured list with a strained left Achilles' tendon, was at the Raptors' morning shootaround, but did not accompany the team to Conseco Fieldhouse for last night's game against the Pacers. "Anytime you lose a guy like Vince, it's a big blow," Toronto forward Donyell Marshall said.

Vince Carter had a season-high 48 points, leading the Magic back from a 17-point second-half deficit to beat the New Orleans Hornets, 123-117, last night in Orlando, Fla. Carter made 19 for 27 shots and had 34 points in the second half with some of the most sizzling moves since he joined the Magic, who have won nine of their last 11 games. Dwight Howard added 25 points and 12 rebounds, and Rashard Lewis finished with 18 points for Orlando. Peja Stojakovic had 29 points, and Darren Collison and David West added 27 points apiece for the Hornets, who have lost four of five...

P.J. Brown's first priority was guarding Dirk Nowitzki. The key points Brown scored in the fourth quarter were a bonus for the Chicago Bulls. Brown played his typically good defense and scored 6 points down the stretch to help host Chicago snap the Dallas Mavericks' eight-game winning streak with a 96-85 victory last night. "Tonight things were rolling and the ball felt good," said Brown, who finished with 12 points. "Sometimes you have to want to take the shot. I got in a nice little rhythm and after that I just kept shooting.

Dwight Howard had 25 points and 24 rebounds, Ryan Anderson scored 27 points, and the Magic hit 17 3-pointers in a 102-89 victory over the Miami Heat last night in Orlando. Anderson had five threes - all in the first half - and grabbed 11 rebounds. Howard posted his 20th double-double of the season. Orlando fell two shy of its season high for threes and set a team record with 42 attempts. The Magic have won four of five since their season-high four-game losing streak.

Andre Iguodala had 14 points and 11 rebounds to lead the 76ers to their third straight win, 74-69, over the Orlando Magic last night in Philadelphia. The Sixers raced to their best start in nearly a decade by taking advantage of a soft schedule for the first third of the season. It gets tough from here. Orlando was the first opponent in a long run of games against winning teams that includes home games this week against Chicago and Miami. Led by Iguodala's burst in the third quarter, the Sixers outlasted the stumbling Magic.

Dirk Nowitzki went over 23,000 career points, Vince Carter had his highest-scoring game in Dallas and the Mavericks stretched their winning streak to four games with a 102-76 victory over Milwaukee on Friday night. The defending NBA champion Mavericks (7-5) are finally on a roll after an 0-3 start. Nowitzki became the 23rd NBA player with 23,000 points. He finished with 11 and his 23,008 career points are third among active players behind Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett. Brandon Jennings scored 19 points for the Bucks (4-7)

(not including last night's game) ■When, where: Tonight, 8, at TD Garden. ■TV, radio: CSN, ESPN, WEEI (850, 93.7). ■Scoring: Dirk Nowitzki 19.0, Jason Terry 14.3, Vince Carter 8.9. ■Rebounds: Brendan Haywood 6.4, Nowitzki 5.2, Shawn Marion 5.2. ■Assists: Jason Kidd 4.5, Terry 3.9, Delonte West 3.1. ■Head to head: This is the first of two meetings. The Celtics went 0-2 against Dallas last season. ■Miscellany: Kidd has been out of the lineup since injuring his back in Friday's loss to San Antonio.

Vince Carter and Ian Mahinmi had 13 points each to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 96-81 victory over New Orleans on Saturday to hand the depleted Hornets their sixth consecutive loss. Carter and Mahinmi led a balanced scoring attack for the Mavericks (4-5), who won their fourth straight at home and had six players scoring in double figures. Al-Farouq Aminu had 15 points and 12 rebounds to lead New Orleans, which was without three players who are in its regular rotation. Hornets post player Jason Smith missed the game to be with his family after the death of his grandmother...

While Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks were on the court celebrating the championship they won over LeBron James and Dwyane Wade last season, the Miami Heat were gathered in another part of the building. It wasn't because they dreaded watching the ceremony, they insisted. They were simply getting ready to show everyone why they are favored to win it all this season. James and Wade led a series of scoring waves that put Miami ahead by 35 points midway through the third quarter, the lead peaking when James soared to the rim and tipped an...

Yao Ming easily won his matchup with Shaquille O'Neal, finishing with 34 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Houston Rockets to their fourth straight victory, 94-72, over the Heat last night in Miami. Yao scored 20 points in the second half, when Houston outscored Miami by 25 points. Tracy McGrady added 12 points and eight assists. Dwyane Wade led Miami with 24 points, but had only 8 in the second half. Nets 105, Wizards 93 -- Vince Carter's 34 points included a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to force overtime, and Jason Kidd's 77th career triple double included 18 assists, leading New Jersey to...

Ben Gordon scored 21 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter last night, leading the shorthanded Chicago Bulls over the visiting New Jersey Nets, 104-101, and into a tie with Philadelphia for the Eastern Conference's eighth and final playoff spot. New Jersey trails Miami by 3 1/2 games for the second seed in the Eastern Conference. The Nets have five games left and the Heat four. Gordon, who shot 1 for 6 with 10 points in the first half, banked in a 3-pointer from the wing that increased the Bulls' lead to 90-84.

DALLAS - While Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks were on the court celebrating the championship they won over LeBron James and Dwyane Wade last season, the Miami Heat were gathered in another part of the building. It wasn't because they dreaded watching the ceremony, they insisted. They were simply getting ready to show everyone why they are favored to win it all this season. In yesterday's opener against Dallas, James and Wade led a series of scoring waves that put Miami ahead by 35 points midway through the third quarter, the lead peaking when James soared to the rim and tipped an...