Swarm and Sting
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Charlotte Hornets Look to Bounce Back Against the Raptors in the Six

By Jerry Stephens

Feb 15, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15) dribbles the ball as Toronto Raptors guard Cory Joseph (6) and center Lucas Nogueira (92) defend during the second half at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors won 90-85. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 15, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15) dribbles the ball as Toronto Raptors guard Cory Joseph (6) and center Lucas Nogueira (92) defend during the second half at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors won 90-85. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
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On the second night of a back to back, the Charlotte Hornets travel to Toronto as they look to rebound against the Raptors.

The Charlotte Hornets (33-41) are set to take on the Toronto Raptors (45-29) as they attempt to bounce back from a blowout loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Heading into this one, Steve Clifford’s side has won four of their last six games. Although, they are only 4-5 in their last nine games away from home and they have only played on the road twice in the last three weeks.

In their last outing, the Raptors dominated the Orlando Magic as they came away with a 19-point win at home. Toronto has won their last six games and seven of their last eight in total. Despite not having Kyle Lowry, they are hitting their stride as the season winds down.

This will be the fourth and final meeting between the two sides this season. The Raptors hold a 2-1 lead after the first three games and the last game in Toronto was an epic collapse by the Hornets as they blew a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter. Charlotte will be looking to avoid a repeat of that performance.

More from Swarm and Sting

Charlotte Hornets @ Toronto Raptors

7:30 p.m. EST, Wednesday, March 29th, 2017

Air Canada Centre

Broadcast on FOX Sports Southeast

Injury Report:

CHA:

OUT – Johnny O’Bryant (right ankle sprain), missed last 10 games (3/8 – 3/28)
NOT WITH TEAM – Christian Wood (personal reasons)
PROBABLE – Marco Belinelli (face laceration), injured on 3/28

TOR:

Kyle Lowry – Out – Right wrist surgery
DeMarre Carroll – Questionable – Sore lower back

Biggest Story:

Is There Still Fight in the Hornets?

Charlotte only has a 1% chance of making the postseason. (FiveThirtyEight.com) With nothing left to fight for towards, will the team still be able to battle against a  playoff team like the Raptors? Or will they just give up and roll over?

I’d like to think the former as Kemba Walker and company are hardly the type of players to just give up. Although, Coach Clifford may be more inclined to play younger players and rest his stars now that they are basically eliminated from the playoffs. Plus, being in the second half of a back to back won’t help their cause but we will have to wait and see what happens.

Matchup to Watch:

Nicolas Batum vs DeMar DeRozan

Nic Batum only scored five points in the Hornets’ last game. He will need to do a whole lot better in this one as he goes up against one of the best scorers in the league. DeRozan is an interesting player because he only shoots 26.3% from the three-point line but he still manages to average 27.2 points per game.

Next: Damien Wilkins is Still Getting Buckets at 37

Out of the top-16 scorers in the league this season, DeMar is the only one who is shooting under 30% from three. He is somewhat of an anomaly in today’s NBA as more and more players center their games around the three-point shot. Batum will not only need to keep up with DeRozan’s scoring output but also need to try and slow him down on the defensive end.

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