DALLAS -- Vince Carter engaged in some light shooting again at the end of practice Tuesday. He doesn't know when he'll be back from a sprained left foot, but he knows it could have been much worse.
"I tried to walk it off ... but it felt a little different, so that's the first thing I was worried about was breaking that first metatarsal bone," Carter said. "I'm just glad it was just a mid-foot sprain. It's still aggravating just because every time you flex forward you still feel it under your foot."
Carter will miss his fifth consecutive game Wednesday night when the Dallas Mavericks take on the improved Minnesota Timberwolves. The eight-time All-Star injured his foot on the final possession of the game at the Los Angeles Lakers as he made a move to his right and got off a last-second 3-point attempt. He heard a pop and feared the worst.
Carter, who turns 35 on Thursday, is only doing some light jogging, while maintaining his conditioning work on the elliptical machine, stationary bike and underwater treadmill, as well as receiving treatment in a hyperbaric chamber.
Before the injury, he was settling nicely into a reserve role, averaging 9.5 points a game, second off the bench behind Jason Terry, and shooting a team-best 44.4 percent from 3-point range.
"For me, I want to get back and play, but at the same time it makes sense to get it healthy so it's not nagging, particularly with your foot and with the way I play," Carter said. "I thought I was playing OK, it's just unfortunate. But, it's great to be on a team like this where the guys are playing so well, so I think that's why I want to be out there so much, to be a part of it."