Wallace entered the night as the NBA's top rebounder and had 13 points and nine rebounds. But he was 5 of 12 from the field, missed two dunks, and bemoaned Charlotte's tendency to settle for jump shots.

"Then when we decide to go to the rim, that's why we don't get any calls," Wallace said. "Referees see us as a jump-shooting team, so when you go to the rim, they're not going to call anything."

Howard, fined $15,000 before the game for criticizing the officials on his blog after a Nov. 3 loss at Detroit, added six assists one night before his matchup with Shaquille O'Neal.

But Carter will help, too. He was watching as a fan when the Magic knocked off the Cavaliers to reach the finals.

"Now I step right into it," Carter said. "I'm excited."

Only this time, Carter doesn't think Van Gundy will go along with him coming off the bench.

"I think he'll tell me to shut up tomorrow," Carter said. "He's done it before."

Notes

Howard had little to say about his fine. "I talked to the NBA about it. I guess I've got to follow the rules," he said. ... Van Gundy said F Ryan Anderson (ankle) got out of a boot Tuesday but won't be ready to return until next week at the earliest. ... Former NBA player Robert Parish sat behind one basket.