Charlotte Hornets struggle against the Toronto Raptors at home, 129-111

Despite a career-high 32 points from Jeremy Lamb, the Charlotte Hornets weren’t able to keep pace with the Toronto Raptors at home.

The Charlotte Hornets (11-20) were defeated by the Toronto Raptors (21-8) as they continue to struggle. They’ve now lost 11 of their last 14 outings. Charlotte’s four-game homestand that was supposed to help them turn their season around, ends with the team going 1-3. The Hornets simply had no answer for DeMar DeRozan and company.

Cody Zeller (left knee surgery) missed his eighth straight game while Treveon Graham (back spasms) was also inactive for the second consecutive outing. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist suffered a right shoulder strain in the third quarter and although he was probable to return, he did not come back to the game.

Game Story

After a tightly contested first period that saw Charlotte lead by four points after the first 12 minutes of the game, the Hornets lost control of the game in the second quarter. Toronto outscored Charlotte, 41-21, in the second quarter. The visitors never relinquished their lead and actually led by as much as 25 points in the fourth. Toronto had great ball movement as they recorded 35 assists on their 49 made shots. The Raptors also got easy buckets as they outscored the Hornets, 14-2, in the fast break.

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Player of the Game

Jeremy Lamb was by far the Hornets’ best player as he finished the game with a career-high 32 points in 28 minutes off of the bench on 11-17 shooting. His previous career-high was 27 points which he scored earlier this season against the San Antonio Spurs. He also scored 14 points in the second quarter alone and made his first six shots in the period.

Dwight Howard came up one rebound short of a double-double as he had 15 points and nine boards. Kemba Walker put up 15 points but was tied for a team-worst -21 in +/-. Johnny O’Bryant was the only other double-figure scorer for Charlotte as he helped lead the second unit by adding 10 points and six rebounds.

The Raptors were led by DeMar DeRozan who had 28 points and eight assists. Serge Ibaka chipped in with 24 points while OG Anunoby had a surprisingly good game with 20 points. Pascal Siakam (12) and Kyle Lowry (11) rounded out Toronto’s double-digit scorers.

Highlight of the Night:

Tweet of the Game:

"Quick Stings"

• Toronto won the rebound battle, 43-39.
• The Raptors outscored the Hornets, 54-50, in points in the paint.
• Charlotte only made seven three’s which wasn’t enough to match Toronto’s 16.
• Nicolas Batum scored 0 points and shot the ball once in 25 minutes.
• Malik Monk scored eight points in garbage time.

With the loss, Charlotte falls to 0-2 versus Toronto so far this season. They will face off twice more this campaign with the next affair coming on February 11th. The Hornets have now lost two straight games and six of their last eight in total to the Raptors.

Next: Why shortening the Hornets' rotation is a bad idea

In their next game, the Hornets will travel to Milwaukee to take on the Bucks for the third time this season. They split their previous two meetings this year with each side winning at home. Charlotte will look to bounce back and pick up only their third road win of the season.