Vince Carter practiced Tuesday for the first time since spraining his right ankle on Nov.10, and there's a good chance he will be on the court when the Nets play the Trail Blazers in Portland on Wednesday.

Carter has missed the Nets' last five games - all losses - after rolling his ankle when he landed on Paul Pierce's foot after a dunk in a game against the Celtics almost two weeks ago.

The Nets, who have lost six straight games after matching a franchise record with a 4-1 start, need Carter desperately. They are averaging a league-worst 84.7 points per game and have been held to 75 or fewer points four times, three times since their All-Star shooting guard was injured.