Mark it down, Raptors Nation. That's four straight wins once again for the boys up north. They just squeezed past a respectfully tough Charlotte Hornets squad on November 17, where Toronto made some crucial defensive plays down the stretch to secure the 110-108 victory. The Raptors improve to a 9-5 record in the Eastern Conference, which places them in a very desirable position as the third seed, and just three games out from the first seed.
Raptors hold off Hornets to reach their fourth straight victory
But the game was just about as gritty and tight-knit as it gets. Charlotte didn’t make it easy for the Raptors at all, and Toronto struggled early with turnovers. Still, their flow on offense and defensive intensity held strong as the game came down to the wire. Of course, the star of the night had to be Brandon Ingram, with equal praise going to defensive maestro Scottie Barnes.
Despite racking up five turnovers, he had a stupendous performance with 27 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and three blocks. It was great to see BI contributing on both ends of the floor.
Largely getting his first taste of playing a Raptors game down to the wire, Ingram was the following question by a reporter during his post-game media availability on November 17: "What's it feel to win a real close game, down the stretch, executing well at both ends? You haven't been in that kind of game in here."
The 28-year-old Raptors star replied (link to Dropbox audio file here):
"Well, you know, it's practice for our goal in the long run. Executing in tight situations, trying to figure out what's the best shot on the floor. But also on the defensive end, we're having each other's back, so, we know that's going to help us when we get to the playoffs. "Brandon Ingram, Nov 17, 2025
It's very easy to just look a weaker team on-paper and brush them off as easy pickings, but I saw the Hornets staying locked in with their rebounding efforts, steals, and blocks — all categories where they had the Raptors beat (albeit a close margin). Had Toronto not rally the troops in crunch time, perhaps I'd be here right now calling Hornets big Moussa Diabate as the Raptors' surprise killer. He was Charlotte's team leader in plus/minus (+9), and his effort to secure four strong blocks caught my eye.
I'm not discounting the Hornets' grit, but Toronto can't afford to let teams like them keep games too close. It's good to have those tough reps under their belt, and in this case, Toronto made the right defensive adjustments and found the right players to secure easy buckets. Still, they need to clean up their efforts throughout the game to avoid situations that could go the other way.
Playoff basketball is the ultimate goal for the Raptors, as Brandon Ingram mentioned, and it's likely they'll face many clutch moments like this either during the playoffs or later in the season come spring. Imagine if on the other side it's Jalen Brunson, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Cade Cunningham, or Donovan Mitchell. With all due respect to the rising rookie Kon Knueppel, who looked fantastic against Toronto, those guys are going to make things a lot more challenging in those situations.