Shorthanded Raptors Dig Deep To Down Nets

He ended up scoring 17 points in 39 minutes in the Raptors' 108-99 victory over the Nets before a crowd of 15,222 at the Air Canada Centre.

Raptors head coach Jay Triano called Jack's participation a game-time decision. He said he found out 15 minutes before the game that Jack would be able to play.

``I was going to give whatever I had, whether it was two minutes, three minutes,'' Jack said. ``Tonight it happened to be 39 minutes.''

Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani had 20 points as the Raptors (27-23) came back after losing an away game on Tuesday 130-115 to the Indiana Pacers, ending a string of five successive victories.

The Raptors have won six straight at the ACC.

Devin Harris and Yi Jianlian each scored 15 for the Nets (4-44) while Courtney Lee added 14. Former Raptor Kris Humphries had 13 and helped spark a rally that gave the Nets a 12-point lead during the second quarter.

Jack's contribution was vital because fellow point guard Jose Calderon had stepped on his foot during the game at Indiana and suffered a sprained right ankle that kept him out of Wednesday's game.

If Jack had been unable to play, the Raptors depth would have been tested even more than it has.

Sonny Weems who has started five time since DeMar DeRozan suffered a sprained right ankle in practice more than a week ago had career highs with 14 points and 11 rebounds and provided the spark.

``Sonny was energy and beyond tonight,'' Triano said. ``Open drives to the basket he finished and he made plays for other people too.''

``It feels good to finally get a chance to get out there and play and showcase what I can do,`` Weems added.

Antoine Wright scored a season-high 18 points and had seven rebounds.

He was making his third start of the season because Hedo Turkoglu was out with a non-displaced fracture of the orbital bone below the right eye in the first minute of Sunday's victory over Indiana.

Turkoglu is being fitted with a mask and must become comfortable with it before he can return. Doctors advised against playing without the mask.

Jack said he felt fine when the team returned from the game against Indiana. He woke up feeling as if he had been hit by a virus and had a sore throat.

``When I woke up this feeling I didn't feel normal at all, I didn't think I was going to be able to play,'' Jack said. ``I got there about four or five hours before the game.''

He had some treatment, including fluids when he arrived at the ACC.

``I hadn't eaten until I got here,'' he said. ``I went out there and warmed up and felt weak. I was going to go out there and give whatever I had.''

He said it took him time to get into a rhythm during the game but as it progressed he said he settled into a groove.

``We told him to go out and play as hard as he can for as long as he can,'' Triano said. ``And if you can't do it, we had a watch on him, and if he didn't feel great then he was going to come out. He controlled things for us and played a great game.

The Raptors led 29-22 after the first quarter after racing to a 15-4 lead and led 57-56 at the half after trailing by 12. It was 83-78 after three quarters.

``It was an ugly one,'' said Bosh who scored eight points in the fourth quarter. ``I guess (Tuesday) took a lot of energy out of us.''

Notes: Turkoglu and DeRozan are scheduled to practice on Friday with an anticipated return to action on Sunday when the Raptors are at home for a noon start Sunday against the Sacramento Kings....The Raptors defeated the Nets 118-95 after taking a 70-33 half-time lead at the ACC on Dec. 18 in the only other meeting between the teams so far this season. The teams play twice more, both at New Jersey Feb. 19 and March 20.