Allen Iverson 51pts vs Vince Carter 39pts Toronto Raptors 00/01 NBA MVP Season
Vince Carter lost his personal battle with fellow superstar Allen Iverson, but the Toronto Raptors won the war thanks to Keon Clark. Clark had a season-high 23 points, eight rebounds, four blocked shots and sparked a furious second-half comeback as the Raptors overcame 51 points by Iverson in a rousing 110-106 overtime victory over the league-leading Philadelphia 76ers. Toronto starting center Antonio Davis left the game in the first quarter with a sprained left ankle, forcing Clark to play a season-high 39 minutes off the bench. Acquired from Denver on January 12 in the deal that sent veteran forward Kevin Willis to the Nuggets, Clark quietly stole the show from two of the NBA’s top scorers. “We’re excited about (Clark),” Toronto coach Lenny Wilkens said. “We’re trying to work in as quickly as we can, and show him something different every day, and he’s just gobbling it up. He’s excited about being here and I thought that was just an incredible job he did to step in for (Davis). We went to him several times because we wanted him to know we had confidence in him. He did a great job.” After helping Toronto eclipse a 20-point first-half deficit, Clark watched helplessly as Iverson fueled a 17-0 Philadelphia burst with 11 points, leaving the Raptors with an 89-78 deficit with 8:47 left in regulation. But the 6-11 reserve pivotman responded with a free throw and a basket, pinned what appeared to be a sure layup by Iverson to the boards and sank a 15-footer that drew Toronto …
