Carter’s big performance buoys Nets

Vince Carter made his case on Saturday that he should’ve been voted a starter for the Eastern Conference for this month’s All-Star game.

Carter had 28 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for his second career triple-double and the New Jersey Nets beat the Miami Heat 105-92 in East Rutherford, N.J., for their 10th straight home win.

Carter put more than half of his points on the board in the first quarter when he was being guarded by the Heat’s Dwyane Wade, the player who beat him out for one of the starting guard positions for the Eastern Conference.

“I was taking what they were giving me early,” Carter said. “I was free on some pick-and-rolls and was able to get into the lane and make things happen. Later I was able to find open guys and they were knocking them down.”

One player who benefited was forward Clifford Robinson, who started in place of ailing Nenad Krstic and responded with a season-high 23 points, including 4 for 6 from 3-point range. Richard Jefferson scored 26 for New Jersey, which shot 53 percent and never trailed in the game.

Wade scored 31 points for the Heat, but got little help from his teammates, who shot 20-of-56 (36 percent). Antoine Walker scored 19 off the bench for Miami, which had a four-game winning streak snapped.

Wizards 98, Hawks 85: At Washington, Antawn Jamison had 27 points and 15 rebounds as the Wizards snapped Atlanta’s three-game winning streak.

Magic 100, Celtics 91: At Orlando, Fla., Dwight Howard and Steve Francis each scored 18 points, and the Magic beat Boston to snap a four-game losing streak.

76ers 100, Cavaliers 95: At Cleveland, Philadelphia’s Allen Iverson scored 34 points in his return to the starting lineup and Chris Webber added 26 as the 76ers beat the Cavaliers.

Pacers 93, Pistons 85: At Indianapolis, Stephen Jackson shook off a recent injury that sent him to the hospital to score 20 points and grab seven rebounds, and Indiana upset rival Detroit.

Hornets 106, Lakers 90: At Oklahoma City, Desmond Mason scored 21 points and Chris Paul added 19 points and 13 assists as New Orleans moved ahead of Los Angeles in the Western Conference standings. Kobe Bryant scored 19 of his 35 points in the first quarter for the Lakers.

Bucks 88, Grizzlies 78: At Milwaukee, Michael Redd scored 23 points in his return to the lineup after missing a game with back spasms, and the Bucks beat Memphis.

Suns 118, Bulls 101: At Phoenix, Shawn Marion had 26 points and 11 rebounds, All-Star starter Steve Nash added 21 points and seven assists, and the Suns beat Chicago for their third straight victory. Ben Gordon scored a career-high 39 points and hit a team-record nine 3-pointers for the Bulls.

Nuggets 105, Trail Blazers 104: At Denver, Andre Miller stole the ball from Jarrett Jack at midcourt and scored the winning basket with 4.3 seconds left, and the Nuggets ended their four-game losing streak with a victory over Portland.

Warriors 109, Timberwolves 77: At Oakland, Calif., Jason Richardson had 23 points and seven rebounds in his return after missing four games with a sore back, and Golden State handed Minnesota its worst loss of the season.

Around the league

Antonio Davis took a physical and is expected to suit up for the Toronto Raptors early next week, returning to a team that traded him three years ago. … Former NBA player Isaiah Rider pleaded not guilty to felony charges that he forced an ex-girlfriend into his car last month. Rider was arrested last week and freed on $2 million bail. … Denver forward Kenyon Martin sat out Saturday’s game against Portland. Martin fell at practice Friday and bruised his surgically repaired left knee. … Indiana Pacers forward Jonathan Bender is almost certain his career is over because of a series of knee injuries. Bender, 25, has not yet filed official retirement papers with the NBA. … Los Angeles Lakers center Chris Mihm was held out of Saturday’s game against New Orleans because of a sprained right shoulder. The Lakers were also without forward Lamar Odom for the second straight game with sprained rib cartilage. … New Orleans and Philadelphia have agreed to extend until Monday the deadline to complete a physical on center Steven Hunter, who was part of a trade from the 76ers to the Hornets earlier this week. Hornets general manager Jeff Bower said the teams agreed to extend the deadline to complete the trade so the Hornets could further analyze results of Friday’s physical.