In the City of Brotherly Love, there was no love lost between the Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers.

In fact, last night's meeting between the teams had the feel of a playoff game, fitting because the Raptors were making their first visit to the First Union Center since last spring's memorable Game 7 loss in the Eastern Conference semi-final.

The emotions were raw, the Raptors were undermanned, yet they escaped with a 100-93 win to post their fifth consecutive regular-season victory over Philadelphia.

Vince Carter led the Raptors with 28 points, but there were many heroes on a night that featured seven technical fouls and another injured Raptor.

"Games like these let players know that they can compete at the highest level," said Raptors coach Lenny Wilkens, who did a masterful job of managing his bench and containing his team's temper. "Games like these build character.

"It was a wild game. I thought our guys played with poise."