Hawks' Raptors and Vince Carter surpass 25,000 mark

Vince Carter was a turning point in his career with a last-ditch dunk – long after his first NBA team got the win.

Kyle Lowry scored 21 points in his first triple-double of the season, and the Toronto Raptors never let a beat as they beat the Atlanta Hawks 124-108 on Wednesday night.

The final arc of the night was reserved for Carter, who lost more than 25,000 points in less than a second. He became the 22nd NBA player to cross the course and threw a bit of love to the Raptors.

"I'm very grateful for all the teams I've played for," said Carter. "… but nothing looks like your first one."

Carter, who played his first seven seasons with Toronto, started the night at 13 points. The Hawks fired for Carter, in his 21st season, to reach the decisive point against his former team. After the match, Carter's teammates were like fans looking for memories.

Watch the highlights of the Raptors victory:

"All the guys tried to take everything I owned," Carter said. "All my spare shoes are gone now."

Carter, 41, did not seem to care.

"I still love him," he says. "I always like to play and I'm ready to do whatever it takes to do it."

Carter dropped a pointer with less than two minutes and, clearly aiming for the course, he missed two more 3s before being imposed 33.9 seconds.

Carter shot with a point on 25,000 when he sank two free throws after a video report canceled the initial call that had been charged to him on a 3-point pointer. In the last possession of Atlanta, he missed a rider before rookie Kevin Huerter grabbed the rebound before returning to Carter, thus preparing the jam that will beat strong.

Carter's 14 points earned him 25,001 points for his career.

The players from both teams hugged Carter midway through.

"He deserved it," Lowry said. "It's great to do it against the team he started with."

Fred VanVleet of Toronto added, "Vince has changed the game for every child growing up."

Lowry earned 17 assists and 12 rebounds for his 13th career triple-double.

"It was pretty funny"

Jonas Valanciunas had 24 points and 13 rebounds for the Raptors (15-4).

"It was rather fun," said Valanciunas before congratulating Lowry. "It's easy to play with that kind of leader."

Pascal Siakam had 22 points.

Jeremy Lin has scored 26 points on the Hawks' bench (3-15), who have lost nine in a row since their last win against Miami on November 3rd.

The only one from Atlanta to double digit is Taurean Prince with 12 points.

The teams combined to miss 14 shots on the field and open the game before Lowry finally lost a jumper. He followed with a 3-pointer, and the Raptors never lost their heads.

The Raptors led 55-44 at half-time.

Toronto brought the score to 100 points for the first time to 20 points for the first time, three points behind Danny Green midway through the last period.

Carter's milestone was popular with players on both teams.

"I'd love it to do it tonight, but Vince will play the game properly and do what he's supposed to do, he'll be worried about what's going on," he said. Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce before the game. "… I know that's her old team.I know that she would have another extra boost, be against Toronto, adding a milestone that is a great achievement and a testimony of her 21 years."