Jalen Rose scored 30 points and played solid defence against former Toronto favourite Vince Carter to guide the Raptors to a 100-82 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Tuesday.
Rose shot 12-for-15 and stole the show against Carter, who notched 22 points in his first game against his old team but only shot 8-for-25.
Chris Bosh added 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Raptors, who seemed to be extra motivated with Carter on the opposing team at East Rutherford.
Six Raptors scored in double figures, including Milt Palacio, who chipped in with 13 points.
Toronto won on the road for only the fifth time in 26 games this season, improving to 22-32 overall.
Jason Kidd picked up 20 points for the Nets, who had no one else in double figures.
The Raptors led 71-64 after three quarters and an early 14-4 run in the fourth put the game out of reach.
New Jersey slipped to 23-31, one game ahead of Toronto in the Atlantic Division.
In Auburn Hills, Michigan, Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince collected 19 points apiece to lead the streaking Detroit Pistons to a 97-88 win over the New York Knicks.
Detroit has now won five straight games and 10 out of 11. Chauncey Billups added 15 points and eight assists for the NBA champion Pistons.
Jamal Crawford scored 23 points for the Knicks, who have lost 20 of their last 25 outings.
In Orlando, Jermaine O'Neal registered 20 points in only 22 minutes as the Indiana Pacers routed the Magic 108-84.
Fred Jones added 18 points for the Pacers, who shot 50 percent. Jeff Foster contributed 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Jameer Nelson had 15 points for the Magic, who suffered their worst loss of the season.
In Charlotte, Michael Redd amassed 39 points to carry the Milwaukee Bucks to a 112-102 triumph over the Bobcats.
Desmond Mason added 20 points for the Bucks while Maurice Williams had a career-high 14 assists.
Brevin Knight scored 19 points to lead Charlotte.
In Chicago, Ben Gordon collected 29 points as the Bulls beat the Miami Heat 105-101 in overtime.
The Heat lost Shaquille O'Neal early in the first quarter when he hobbled off the court. He was later diagnosed with a left knee strain and will be re-evaluated on Wednesday.
Eddy Curry added 16 points for the Bulls. Dwyane Wade had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat.
In Houston, Ray Allen scored 29 points, including two free throws with 16.7 seconds left, as the Seattle SuperSonics edged the Rockets 87-85.
Rashard Lewis added 23 points for Seattle while Yao Ming had 30 for Houston.
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