TORONTO (Ticker) -- An exquisite pass from Vince Carter has the Toronto Raptors off to the first 2-0 start in team history.
Carter's nifty feed set up rookie Chris Bosh's go-ahead basket with 33 seconds left as the Raptors rallied for an 82-79 victory over the Washington Wizards.
Carter, who scored 18 of his 26 points in the second half, got the ball near the top of the key with Toronto trailing, 79-78. He drove down the lane, splitting Larry Hughes and Gilbert Arenas and drawing Kwame Brown before backhanding a feed to his right to a wide-open Bosh for a layup and a one-point edge.
"I saw three guys. I saw my guy and two big men coming," Carter said. "I had a choice, either Antonio Davis on my left or Chris Bosh behind me. Coach said don't shoot the ball; I know what that means - find someone and make a play."
Carter registered his fifth assist of the game on the no-look pass.
"I had to concentrate on catching the ball first and let the rest take care of itself," Bosh said. "I was just ready for the ball, but it was his dish that was so good."
Washington coach Eddie Jordan called timeout and went to Arenas, whose spinning bank shot missed. Carter's two foul shots made it 82-79 with 18 seconds to go.
After another timeout, rookie Jarvis Hayes airballed an ill-advised leaning 3-pointer with 13 seconds remaining. The Raptors used excellent passing to avoid a foul and run out the clock.
"We didn't get to our spots and we didn't execute the right way," Jordan said. "They put the pressure on us and they had guys that made shots."
It was the second straight come-from-behind victory for Toronto, which trailed by 13 points in the third quarter of Wednesday's season-opening triumph over New Jersey.
"They add character, but you don't want to do it on a regular basis," Carter said. "It's fun to play in a game like that, but at the same time, to win a game by 10 or 15 is also a good thing, too."
The Raptors shot a frigid 27 percent (12-of-45) from the field in falling into a 37-27 halftime hole. They set a franchise low for points in the first half.
Carter had a rough first half with eight points on 4-of-12 shooting. He rebounded with 5-of-10 shooting and all six of his free throws in another big second half. The star guard poured in 25 of his 39 points Wednesday over the final 24 minutes.
Carter nailed both his 3-pointers in a 12-2 run that opened the second half and forged a 39-39 tie. Washington re-established itself and took a 60-51 advantage on Arenas' layup with four seconds left in the third quarter.
Lamond Murray answered with a layup just before the buzzer to trigger a 17-4 tear, a run that took place with Carter on the bench for the bulk of it. The Wizards committed four of their 12 turnovers in that span, leading to 10 points for the Raptors.
"Mentally, we broke down," Arenas said. "They made shots and they rebounded, got early buckets and fast breaks. Little things like that won the game tonight."
Jerome Williams collected 17 points and 13 rebounds and Murray came off the bench for 15 points. Davis pulled down 15 rebounds as Toronto held a commanding 49-37 edge on the glass.
"We got big games from JYD (Williams) and Antonio on the boards," Toronto coach Kevin O'Neill said. "They're playing hard. The reason those guys are able to rebound like that is we're doing a great job of perimeter defense, not giving up penetration all the time."
Arenas finished with 16 points and seven assists and Brown added 16 and nine rebounds. Hughes made only 5-of-15 shots for 13 points.
Toronto has won five of its last six matchups with Washington.
