WASHINGTON (AP) — Orlando guard Vince Carter, in the midst of a difficult shooting slump, sprained his left shoulder in a collision in the second quarter of the Magic’s 104-97 loss in Washington on Friday night. He did not return.
Carter lay writhing on the floor near the 3-point line at the Wizards’ end of the court while play continued. His team did not call a timeout, playing a man short while Jason Williams hit a 3-pointer, but with the Wizards playing around the injured Carter, the Magic finally committed a foul to stop play.
Carter left the locker room quickly after the game, declining comment except for saying: “I’ll talk to you guys tomorrow.”
Orlando, which hosts Atlanta on Saturday, listed him as day-to-day.
Carter, who began the game averaging a team-high 17.7 points, has been struggling. He had missed 37 of 47 shots in his previous four games, and hit one of two field goals and all six free throws Friday before being hurt.
Magic coach Stan Van Gundy wouldn’t elaborate on Carter’s injury after the game, but before the game he spoke about his star’s slump.
“What Vince has done well in his entire career is make good decisions, and that’s what’s changed,” Van Gundy said. “He’s overthinking.”