Vinsanity Returns Again in Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. -- This looked like an old Vince Carter highlight tape -- just without the dunks.

Carter, whose first season with his hometown team has been marked mostly by disappointment, finally delivered the game he had promised, exploding for a season-high 48 points while carrying the Magic to a 123-117, come-from-behind victory against New Orleans.

"That was vintage Vince Carter,'' gushed Magic coach Stan Van Gundy. "He was incredible, unbelievable tonight. Most of his shots didn't even hit the rim.''

For Carter, it was his highest-scoring game since getting a career-high 51 points for the New Jersey Nets against Miami early in the 2005-06 season.

Carter, 33, was averaging just 15.8 points going into Monday night, heading for his first sub-20-point average since his rookie season.

His performance Monday, coupled with considerable improvement from January to February, has re-sparked talk that the Magic (35-17) indeed can defend their Eastern Conference title against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"With Vince playing like this,'' said point guard Jameer Nelson, "you just keep getting him the ball.''

In one fourth-quarter stretch, Nelson called plays for Carter on six consecutive possessions. And when Carter tried to defer on the last one, passing it back, Nelson re-set the play for Carter again.

"When you're in a zone like this, locked in, you kind of feel like you can't miss,'' Carter said. "It's just a great feeling when you're rolling like that.''

Only 10 days after being booed at home for his month-long struggles, Carter was given a standing ovation Monday, a first since his arrival this summer in the trade from New Jersey.

Carter was stung by a dreadful January when he averaged just 8.7 points and shot 28.4 percent in 14 games. He was the one being blamed for disrupting the chemistry the Magic used last season when they rolled to the NBA Finals, beating Boston and Cleveland along the way.

"That was Vinsanity tonight. When he's aggressive, attacking like he was tonight, it opens things up for everyone."
- Dwight Howard In four February games, he is averaging 26.5 points and shooting 52.8 percent. He hit 19 of 27 shots and six of 10 from 3-point range Monday. Through the entire month of January, he made only 11 3-point baskets. He scored 18 points in the fourth quarter, turning a nine-point deficit into a six-point lead. He had 34 points in the second half.

"That was Vinsanity tonight,'' said Magic center Dwight Howard. "When he's aggressive, attacking like he was tonight, it opens things up for everyone. When he's doing that, opponents have to pick their poison.''

Carter, who was once the NBA's most entertaining high flyer, didn't have a single dunk Monday, but he scored on 10 drives to the basket, helped by the benching of hapless Hornets center Emeka Okafor, who played only nine minutes.

"It's been awhile since I've done something like this,'' Carter said. "The older you get, the more special these (games) are. But I'm capable of scoring. I can still play. We've just got so many weapons that it's not always what we need here.''

They needed everything he could provide Monday. After trailing most of the game, the Magic tied it at 106 on Carter's 3-pointer. They led 111-107 when he completed a 3-point play. They led 114-110 when he hit another 3-pointer. They led 116-110 when Carter hit a fade-away jumper.

"You're not going to see this very often from anyone,'' Van Gundy said. "In this league, you can see great plays, great players every night, but it's not very often you see a performance like this. This is one you can talk about years later.''