Vince Carter distorted space and time on Monday, scoring a season-high 48 points on a variety of vintage moves, connecting on 19-of-27 FGs, 6-of-10 three-pointers, and 4-of-4 FTs. VC has scored 20+ points in three consecutive games and is obviously over the shoulder injury that hampered him throughout January. He was posting up, hitting 3-pointers and slashing to the lane, and the buy-low window has officially been slammed shut. It was his highest-scoring game since 2006.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Los Angeles: The Los Angeles Lakers will play without both Kobe Bryant (sprained left ankle) and Andrew Bynum (bruised right hip) vs. the Spurs on Monday.Consider both of them questionable for L.A.’s final game before the All-Star break, Wednesday at Utah. Lamar Odom will start at PF on Monday, moving Pau Gasol to center.

Toronto: Andrea Bargnani’s ankle was a bit tender on Monday and his participation in practice was limited. The Toronto Raptors don’t play until Wednesday, their final game before the break, and it appears Bargnani just got some precautionary rest.

Charlotte: David West scored 27 points in the Hornets’ losing effort on Monday, making 10-of-19 FGs and 7-of-7 FTs in his second-highest scoring total of the past 18 games.

West is still a reliable option, though his points (17.9), FG attempts (14.8) and rebounds (7.6) have all taken big dips this season, along with his playing time (35:36). Most of that was a lackluster November, however, and an ankle injury which has since healed.

Atlanta: Atlanta Hawks G Joe Johnson is probable for Tuesday’s game despite having the flu. He had been listed as questionable, so this is great news if you gambled on him in a shortened Week 16.

Portland: Brandon Roy did not end up having another injection of PRP on Monday. He’s hopeful rest and treatment will be enough to fix his hamstring, but it’s still too early to tell when he’ll play again. He also won’t be getting much rest over All-Star Weekend, as he’ll be required to be in Dallas for the weekend per the NBA.

Denver: Carmelo Anthony, who was quoted by the Nuggets’ official Twitter page as saying he was “probable” for Tuesday’s game against the Mavs, was non-committal about his availability when speaking with beat writer Benjamin Hochman. “Hopefully I can get back out there [Tuesday],” Anthony said after Monday’s practice. “It felt good out there today. It’s getting better each day. Pretty much I was doing a lot that I could do before I got hurt.”

New Jersey: Devin Harris is “50-50″ to play on Tuesday against the Cavaliers due to his shoulder injury.

Andrea Bargnani went off for a season-high 34 points vs. the Pacers on Tuesday, making 14-of-21 FGs, including 4-of-6 from downtown. To say Roy Hibbert struggled to defend the quicker Bargnani would be a massive understatement, though at 7’0″ it’s not easy to slow him down when his jumpshot is clicking. He was averaging just 9.5 points over the past two games but rewarded those who kept the faith.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Orlando: Vince Carter finally returned to form in Tuesday’s victory, finishing with 17 points, two 3-pointers, 10 rebounds, seven assists, one steal and one block in 40 minutes. VC was aggressive driving to the hoop and finding his teammates, another great sign. His shoulder has been hampering his shot lately but hopefully this is the start of an upward trend.

Toronto: Toronto lost in Indiana on Tuesday despite a game-high 35 points from Chris Bosh. He was 13-of-22 from the field and 9-of-12 from the FT line, with 15 rebounds, three assists, one steal and two blocks. The Toronto Raptors simply couldn’t put together many defensive stops — the Pacers had seven players in double figures and collectively made 52.4% of their field goals and 94.3% of their free throws.

Toronto: Marco Belinelli started at SF for Hedo Turkoglu (eye) on Tuesday, scoring 21 points on 7-of-13 FGs, 3-of-4 threes and 4-of-5 FTs. He added five rebounds, two assists, one block and just one turnover in 33 minutes. Belinelli, naturally more of a SG, is an intriguing source of offense and steals when he’s getting enough minutes.

New Jersey: Yi Jianlian returned after taking a brief rest with a shoulder injury, but may have been better off staying on the bench with a 1-for-12 shooting mark that led to three points, five rebounds, no assists, and a block. He finished with 31 minutes under his belt, so it’s hard to say how much of an effect the shoulder had on him. Brook Lopez scored 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting with seven rebounds, two assists, and two blocks on Tuesday. Also, Devin Harris (wrist) returned to action on Tuesday, and scored 24 points on 7-of-14 shooting (no threes, 10-of-11 from the foul line) with five rebounds, 14 assists, and a block.

Detroit: Charlie Villanueva, who was a game-time decision with a back injury on Tuesday, ended up playing just eight minutes and had no points, one rebound, no assists, and one steal.

Milwaukee: Brandon Jennings, the reigning Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month, was held to just two points on 1-of-7 shooting in Tuesday’s ugly loss to the Orlando Magic. Jennings had four assists and zero turnovers, but his struggles typified the Bucks offense tonight .

Houston Rockets SG/SF Tracy McGrady and Head Coach Rick Adelman on Friday both denied a Yahoo! Sports report that the two had engaged in a heated argument behind closed doors on Wednesday.

McGrady said he put on his game uniform Wednesday, despite having no targeted date to return from a knee injury, because “I was excited. I put it on, like a little kid. It felt refreshing to put it on because it was in sight.” Adelman said he simply reminded McGrady that he wouldn’t play, at the earliest, until after his Nov. 23 MRI, and that “We haven’t had any arguments. He wants to know what we’re going to do.” Check back after Nov. 23 for updates. It has long been rumored that the Rockets would like to trade McGrady, but there have been not takers.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Toronto: Toronto Raptors C Andrea Bargnani hit 9-of-14 shots and two 3-pointers on his way to 24 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks on Friday. Bargnani, who is starting to live up to his talent, is averaging nearly 18 points, six boards, two threes and more than a block per game thus far in 2009.

Miami: Heat G Mario Chalmers hit 9-of-15 shots and five 3-pointers to score a career-high 30 points in Friday’s loss to the Raptors. Chalmers also added three assists and three steals on the nigh.

Philadelphia 76ers: Lou Williams hit 12-of-16 shots and four 3-pointers on his way to a career-high 31 points to go along with two rebounds, five assists and six steals. Even with the steller performance, Williams and his team lost to Memphis at home.

Indiana: Pacers F/C Troy Murphy returned from a six-game absence with a back injury and had 12 points, 10 boards, on three pointer and two steals in 24 minutes. Barring a setback, Murphy should see steady minutes in Indiana.

Minnesota: An X-Ray revealed that Kevin Love’s broken hand is progressing, but he’s still about two weeks from practicing and three weeks from playing in a game. Love did some outside shooting Friday, and though he says he feels almost no pain in his hand, he is unable to do anything physical. If he returns Dec. 11 against the Los Angeles Lakers, that would put him right in the 6-to-8 week recovery time originally reported when he broke his hand Oct. 16

Washington: Wizards C Brendan Haywood had 14 points and 16 rebounds in Friday’s loss to the Thunder.
Haywood has play great thus far this season, averaging 11 points, 11 boards and 2.5 blocks.

Boston: Celtics F/C Rasheed Wallace hit just 4-of-16 shots and was 0-for-8 from downtown for nine points, 13 boards, three steals and a block in Friday’s loss to Orlando.