Jalen Rose hit a game-tying shot with one-second left in regulation, and Alvin Williams hit a pair of big jumpers in overtime to help the Toronto Raptors beat the New Orleans Hornets 78-74 on Thursday night.

Rose fouled out after scoring the first points of overtime but finished with a game-high 20. Willaims and Donyell Marshall each added 16 points.

Toronto was forced to play the final three-plus quarters without Vince Carter, who left the game with 4:41 remaining in the opening quarter after going down holding his right leg on a missed dunk attempt.

Carter was fouled as he soared through the lane. Team officials called the injury a strained quadriceps and said Carter's condition would be re-evaluated Friday.

With the score tied at 74, New Orleans had two chances to take the lead but ended up with a missed shot by P.J. Brown and a turnover when Robert Traylor couldn't handle Baron Davis' pass.

After Williams' pull-up jumper in the lane put Toronto up 76-74 with 17.6 seconds left, Traylor lost another Davis pass out of bounds and the Hornets were forced to start fouling.

Lamond Murray hit only one of two foul shots, giving New Orleans another chance to tie, but Traylor got the ball and went for a short jump shot that missed, then got his own rebound and missed again.

The Hornets have lost four straight.

The Hornets were in good shape to emerge victorious from a tight fourth quarter after Brown's twisting jumper gave them a 69-68 lead and Rose turned the ball over on a push-off foul with 35 seconds left.

George Lynch then rebounded Brown's miss on the other end and was fouled behind the 3-point line with 11 seconds left, but was given only two foul shots. The referees discussed the call and decided that Lynch was not shooting — even though Lynch was jumping as he was fouled. Lynch went to the foul line for only two shots and missed one to leave New Orleans' lead at 70-68.

Rose then took possession for Toronto, ran down the clock and started to drive, pulling up on the edge of the lane and faking Lynch into the air before hitting the tying shot with one second left.

Lynch led New Orleans with 12 points, while Brown had 11. Jamaal Magloire had 10 points and 10 rebounds but missed much of the second half after committing a turnover and being pulled from the game.

Davis, normally New Orleans' biggest offensive threat, had only 10 points on 4-of-17 shooting.

Toronto led 15-9 when Carter left and had little trouble maintaining the lead as New Orleans shot poorly (38 per cent) throughout the first half, including 0-of-10 from 3-point range (1-of-17 for the game).

The Raptors took their biggest lead at 45-32 when Murray hit a 3-pointer.

New Orleans turned up its defensive intensity in the third quarter by trapping and guarding the ball more closely, holding the Raptors to only 10 points for the period.

Notes:@ Michael Curry hit a shot at the halftime buzzer that initially was ruled good, giving Toronto a 47-35 lead. But officials reviewed the shot on replay and overturned the call, taking the two points off the scoreboard. ... New Orleans G David Wesley left the game for good in the fourth quarter after being taken down by Morris Peterson, from whom Wesley had stolen the ball. Peterson stumbled as he tried to hod Wesley up and landed on Wesley's left foot. Hornets spokesman Harold Kaufman said Wesley had a sprained left big toe.

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