Swarm and Sting
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Kemba Walker Leads the Charlotte Hornets Past the Raptors in Blowout Win

By Jerry Stephens

Jan 20, 2017; Charlotte, NC, USA; Toronto Raptors guard forward DeMar DeRozan (10) looks to pass as he is defended by Charlotte Hornets forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (14) during the first half of the game at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 20, 2017; Charlotte, NC, USA; Toronto Raptors guard forward DeMar DeRozan (10) looks to pass as he is defended by Charlotte Hornets forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (14) during the first half of the game at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kemba Walker‘s big night led the Charlotte Hornets to a blowout victory over the Toronto Raptors as they grabbed their second consecutive win at home.

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The Charlotte Hornets (22-21) were able to defeat the Toronto Raptors (28-15) in a blowout en route to their second straight win at home. Charlotte finally picked up a big victory over a top team in the Eastern Conference as they completely routed their neighbors from north of the border. Kemba Walker led his team as he scored 32 points through only three quarters.

Jeremy Lamb missed his fourth straight game as he continues to deal with metatarsal inflammation. The bench stepped up without him as they outscored the Raptors’ second unit 39-14. Frank Kaminsky was a huge boost off the pine as he was Charlotte’s second-leading scorer in this one.

Turning Point

The third quarter was the turning point in this one. Even though the Hornets entered the third period up seven at halftime, they completely took control of the game in the third. Kemba single-handedly outscored the entire Raptors’ team 16-15 in the quarter. As a whole, Charlotte outscored their opponents 33-15 as they took a commanding 25 point lead into the fourth.

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Who Stepped Up

Walker led the Hornets with a game-high 32 points to go along with eight assists and four rebounds in this one. Kaminsky contributed 16 points and eight boards off the bench to help out his side. Nicolas Batum added 13 points and six dimes while Cody Zeller chipped in 11 points.

Marvin Williams had a near double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds. Ramon Sessions also scored in double figures with 10 points with the second unit.

Kyle Lowry scored 24 points but was outplayed for a majority of the night by Kemba. DeMar DeRozan added 23 points but only shot 8-17 from the field. Jonas Valanciunas was the only other Raptor in double-digit scoring as he put up 11 points and six rebounds.

Play of the Game:

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Tweet of the Game:

"Quick Stings"

  • Kemba scored 20+ points for the 30th time this season.
  • The Hornets are now 13-8, 9-2 at home, when leading at halftime.
  • Charlotte’s now 7-1 when leading after the first quarter.
  • The Hornets only trailed once in the game when the Raptors were up 2-0 at the start.
  • Charlotte shot (40-80) 50% from the field and (12-25) 48% from three.

With the win, the Hornets evened up the season series 1-1 against the Raptors. The two sides will meet twice more this year with both games coming in The Six. This was Charlotte’s first win over a top team in the Eastern Conference (the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Boston Celtics, the Raptors) and they are now 1-7 on the season against those teams.

Next: Hornets Have a lot to Prove in Five-Game Homestand

In their next game, the Charlotte Hornets will welcome the Brooklyn Nets to town. It will be the third meeting of the season between these two teams with each side winning one apiece so far. Kemba looked upset that he wasn’t picked as an all-star starter, hopefully, he continues to play at this level going forward.

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