The Kemba Walker-less Charlotte Hornets couldn’t pick up a road win over the Kyle Lowry and the Toronto Raptors.
The Charlotte Hornets (8-12) were defeated by the Toronto Raptors (13-7) as they dropped their third straight game. Despite a big double-double from Dwight Howard, the Hornets didn’t have enough firepower to keep up with the dynamic duo of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. The Hornets fell to 1-9 on the road as they continue to struggle away from home.
Charlotte was without their leading scorer as Kemba Walker missed the game with a left shoulder AC contusion. Michael Carter-Williams replaced Kemba in the starting lineup while Malik Monk came back into the rotation and played as the backup point guard. Julyan Stone was active for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury on October 23rd.
Game Story
This was a wire-to-wire victory for the Raptors. A 19-2 run at the start of the third quarter gave Charlotte life but wasn’t enough to give them the lead at any point in this one as Toronto led from start to finish. One thing that kept the Hornets in this one was their excellent free throw shooting as they went 30-35 from the charity stripe.
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Player of the Game
Dwight Howard led the Hornets with 22 points and 10 rebounds in 30 minutes of playing time. He only committed one turnover while shooting 8-12 from the field and 6-8 from the free throw line. The eight-time all-star recorded his
Frank Kaminsky added 18 points and seven boards off of the bench while Jeremy Lamb chipped in with 18 points, three rebounds and three assists. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 12 points on 4-8 shooting in 27 minutes. Nicolas Batum only managed 10 points and five assists with Kemba out. Malik Monk did provide a small spark with the second unit by scoring nine points in 15 minutes.
The Raptors were led by Kyle Lowry who finished with a game-high 36 points to go along with six assists and five rebounds. His running mate, DeMar DeRozan, put up 30 points, six assists and four boards. Jonas Valanciunas (12) and Norman Powell (10) rounded out Toronto’s double-figure scorers.
Highlight of the Night:
Tweet of the Game:
Nobody respects Frank Kaminsky on the defensive end. When he’s in the game whoever he’s guarding goes straight to the rim #Hornets.
— SportsFromMyEyes (@JustinThomasNBA) November 30, 2017
"Quick Stings"
- Dwight passed Horace Grant for 13th all-time in offensive rebounds (3,468).
- Toronto out-rebounded Charlotte, 39-36.
- The Raptors outscored the Hornets, 60-40, in points in the paint.
- Toronto only committed nine turnovers in this one.
- Charlotte’s second unit outscored Toronto’s bench, 56-40.
With the loss, Charlotte falls to 0-1 against Toronto this season. The two sides will face off three more times during the 2017-18 campaign with their next meeting coming on December 20th. The Hornets have now lost five of their last six games north of the border.
Next: LeBron praises Kemba's offensive ability
In their next outing, the Hornets will take on their divisional rivals in the Miami Heat on Friday, December 1st. Coming into this one, Miami is 3-2 in their past five games with two straight losses coming at the hands of the Cavs and Knicks. with Steve Clifford’s side will be looking to bounce back and put an end to their current losing streak.