Trying to mount the fourth-longest win streak in franchise history, the Toronto Raptors will travel to North Carolina to take on the Charlotte Hornets. Toronto has a rest advantage entering this matchup, sitting the last two days after going undefeated in NBA Cup Tournament play. Charlotte, on the other hand, toughed out a gruelling game against Chicago last night earning their first win in their last eight games.
Since their last meeting, a mere twelve days ago, Charlotte has fallen to 5-14 on the season, dropping games to teams like Atlanta and Indiana in the process. They’ve been struggling to find an identity, and despite strong performances from LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, and their excellent rookie selections in Kon Knueppel and Ryan Kalkbrenner, it hasn’t translated into many wins. Now, Brandon Miller has returned from injury, scoring 18 and 27 in his first two games back. This is a welcome infusion of offence for the Hornets, and so far they’re 1-1 since he’s been back.
It’s still unclear who Toronto will have to plan for tonight, with Charlotte waiting to release their injury report. Having just played last night this isn’t uncommon, and they’ve had a track record this year of finding opportunities to rest their stars, especially when they’re not expecting to win. If that’s the case again tonight, Toronto might see more of their bench, with Sexton, Diabate, and Mann being their next biggest contributors this season. It’s not an automatic win in either case, as the undermanned Hornets were able to rout the Bucks a couple weeks ago without Ball or Miller.
RJ continues to be sidelined the hero of Toronto’s last game against the Hornets, but with a next-man-up mentality, they’re still 2-0 since his knee injury against Brooklyn. Although, the one thing they are missing is his 3-point shooting where he sits at a solid 36% this season.
In Toronto’s last two outings, they struggled from beyond the arc. In Cleveland they shot 28% on 36 attempts, and then followed that up with only 19% on 26 attempts against Indiana, leading to their worst offensive performance of the season so far, finishing with only 97 points. Hopefully this is just a small bump in the road, as long range shots account for almost 30% of their total scoring. If they struggle again tonight, it could be another close game against the Hornets.
Unlike previous years, close games haven’t been as worrying for Raptors fans though as Brandon Ingram has continued to be a hero for Toronto this year. In the clutch, he leads the Raps in points per game and minutes played, proving to be a reliable option in those tight situations. If Charlotte is able to hang around tonight, Toronto will undoubtably look to Ingram to help create a winning play.
Tune in at 6 pm ET on TSN to catch the game.
Toronto: Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, Jakob Poeltl, Collin Murray-Boyles, Immanuel Quickley
Charlotte: Kon Knueppel, LaMelo Ball, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges
Toronto: RJ Barrett (Out: Right knee sprain), Chucky Hepburn (Out: G-League), A.J. Lawson (Out: G-League), Alijah Martin (Out: G-League), Jonathan Mogbo (Out: G-League)
Charlotte: Josh Green (Out: Shoulder), Grant Williams (Out: Knee) for sure, the rest TBD.