Doug Smith of the Toronto Star reports that Vince Carter was injured again last night in Houston as the Raptors lost to the Rockets. Six minutes into the game, Carter clutched his left knee as he fell to the court. He has re-injured the left quadriceps tendon that was surgically repaired last March.

Carter will be examined by team doctors when the club returns home today. Club officials said last night he suffered a quadriceps strain, the same injury that cost him much of last season.

"The third year in a row, it just gets frustrating," said a subdued Carter after the game. "The first one? Okay. The second one? You can tolerate it. The third? It's just too much. You work so hard to get back and ..."

"I was just running down the court, getting into the play and I couldn't go on it," Carter said. "I knew exactly what was hurt."

Carter will have an MRI examination today before any course of treatment is determined. Two seasons ago, he treated the same injury with rest; last year he tried to play through the pain with limited mobility before having season-ending surgery.