Fourth in a Row: Raptors Edge Hornets in Down-to-the-Wire Finish
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By Nemanja Petković
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Summary:
- The Toronto Raptors defeated the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night.
- Brandon Ingram put up 27 points, while Immanuel Quickley posted his first double-double of the season.
- RJ Barrett scored the deciding layup while Scottie Barnes sealed the win with a last-second block.
Brandon Ingram did a good job at setting the pace on Monday night, contributing 27 points in a tight 110-108 win over the Charlotte Hornets.
While the game wasn’t the smoothest it could be for the Toronto Raptors, it brought them another win, namely, their fourth straight. The team currently sits at 9-5. Plus, the night saw different players step up at the right moments.
Best Performance for Quickley This Season
Immanuel Quickley quietly put together his best all-around performance of the season. He finished with 15 points and a season-high 10 rebounds, marking his first double-double of the year and making his side’s depth look a lot more real.
Charlotte, however, refused to fold easily. Kon Knueppel led his team with 24 points, and LaMelo Ball added 20 more along with eight assists. Even so, the Hornets are still searching for answers after dropping their third in a row and falling to 4-10.
The final minutes had the building swinging between nerves and noise. First, Miles Bridges knocked down a deep 26-footer to put Charlotte ahead 108-106 with 1:41 remaining. Scottie Barnes answered right away with a powerful dunk that wiped out the deficit and woke up the NBA crowd.
One of the biggest plays came on the next defensive possession. Quickley swatted Ball’s floater, and that block turned into the sequence that sealed Charlotte’s fate.
Quickley and Ingram connected on a give-and-go, opening up a clean lane for RJ Barrett, who finished a simple but clutch layup with 18.4 seconds left.
Charlotte still had a shot to extend the game, but Barnes shut the door for good. He erased Collin Sexton’s short jumper with just 0.2 seconds left, ending any hope of a Hornets comeback.
Game Takeaways
The Hornets nearly played their way out of the game in the second quarter. They had seven turnovers, nearly as many as the number of made shots (eight) in that frame. Toronto also struggled at times, but the Raptors still managed to spread the scoring around with six players hitting double digits.
A key moment came from Ingram, who had thrown down a big dunk over rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner with 6:43 left that had the whole arena buzzing. Toronto took control in transition, outscoring Charlotte 21-14 in fast-break points.
Up next, Charlotte heads to Indiana on Wednesday, while the Raptors travel to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers. Get all the best odds for the latest basketball games with selected sportsbooks.
