"Orlando Magic guard Vince Carter practiced in full on Monday and expects to play Tuesday night against the visiting Detroit Pistons.

Carter, 33, has missed the last three games with a sprained left knee. He injured the knee against the Spurs last Monday.

There's still a little bit of soreness, he said, but it didn't hurt enough to keep him out of any drills at practice.

A private workout on Sunday was the turning point. While the team had a day off, Carter worked with an assistant coach at the team's facility to see if the knee would be OK to practice on Monday. He said it felt much better on Sunday than it did Saturday, and it felt even better on Monday.

"I wanted to push the timetable as far as getting back on the court," Carter said. "I'm hoping I can put that uniform back on tomorrow." "