Raptors 104 – Charlotte Hornets 94: Just in time offense
By Brian Boake
The Toronto Raptors were one quarter away from being embarrassed at home by a Charlotte Hornets team missing four regulars. Happily the good guys came up big when they needed to.
First Half
The Raptors are not the kind of team to play a let’s-trade-buckets kind of game, but that’s exactly what was happening against the Hornets. The Hornets were making a bunch of their first shots, and missing didn’t hurt them all that much, as they grabbed a ridiculous 11 offensive rebounds.
Both teams’ point guards were not enjoying the game. Kyle Lowry seems to be slipping into a slump, and Kemba Walker was 2 of 11, while missing all five long balls he tried. DeMar DeRozan single-handedly kept the Raptors in the game, with 19 points, which included two corner 3s. He seems to like that spot more than any other beyond the arc.
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Patrick Patterson keeps shooting. He made a 3-ball, finally, and a jumper over giant rookie Frank Kaminsky. Where there’s life, there’s hope. Cory Joseph made an impact, but Terrence Ross only hit the scoresheet with 3 fouls. He sat down, as James Johnson was let out of the doghouse, with minimal impact.
Kaminsky, Charlotte’s top draft choice, seems to be settling into the NBA nicely. He can shoot, or put the ball on the floor, and his defensive mobility was impressive.
Second Half
The Raptors sleepwalked through the early minutes, and the Hornets turned the half-time tie into a 7-point lead. While the Raptors battled back to draw even, their shooting evaporated, and ended the quarter with only 7 baskets on 32 shots. The Hornets needed only 17 to take a eight-point lead into Q4.
The game turned in Toronto’s favour early, as a pair of 2-Pat long balls, sandwiched around a pair of Biyombo free throws, evened matters up. The Hornets offense began to weaken, or the Raptors defensive intensity ratcheted up. A severely shorthanded Charlotte squad had little choice but to continue leaning on their rapidly tiring short rotation, even though their shots weren’t falling. A pair of long balls from Marvin Williams brought the visitors back into a 94-all tie, but the Raptors banged in two 3-balls of their own. The Hornets were done, and Raptors free throws closed the game out.
Conclusions
Kyle Lowry’s miserable evening lasted three quarters, as he scored 10 of his 18 points in crunch time. Ross also recovered to score 8, and Patterson enjoyed his best night in weeks. Jonas Valanciunas provided the team’s other double-double (Lowry dished out 11 dimes) with 10 points and 13 boards.
As against Milwaukee, the Raptors rode a huge Q4 (30-12 ) to the win. The Hornets deserve credit for dogged, in-your-face defense most of the night, including a few occasions when Biyombo and Tyler Hansbrough were close to blows. Our marvellous rim protector punched out 4 Hornets shots, the only ones the Raptors blocked.
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Toronto should not have allowed this wounded opponent to hang around, but the result was positive. A team which has had the Raptors’ number for too long was defeated. Will that happen again on Sunday, when the Chicago Bulls come to town?