Charlotte Hornets hope to win season series against the Toronto Raptors

The Charlotte Hornets have not won the season series against the Toronto Raptors since the 2013-2014 season. They’ll have a chance to rectify that Friday night in the Queen City.

Fans of the Charlotte Hornets (36-42) probably still have the memory of Jeremy Lamb’s insane game-winning shot in Toronto to beat the Raptors (56-23) fresh in their heads. Surely, the Raptors players remember that as well, as they certainly thought that the game was in the bag. Fortunately for the Hornets, they won that game, keeping their razor-thin playoff hopes alive.

So, here we are, almost two weeks later with a rematch that could make or break Charlotte’s dreams of a postseason birth. It’s also a rematch the Raptors are doubly focused on not just because of how the last matchup ended, but because they obviously wish to obtain a number 1 seed in the playoffs.

Charlotte is coming off a 115-109 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. They are still at the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference and are 2.5 games back of the 8th spot. Toronto’s last game was a 115-105 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. They are 2nd in the East. This is the final game in which these two teams will meet.

Charlotte Hornets vs Toronto Raptors
7:00 p.m. EST, Friday, April 5th, 2019
Spectrum Center
Fox Sports Southeast

Stream: Fubo.tv

Injury Report:

CHA:

Cody Zeller – Knee  (Out)

Marvin Williams – Foot (Out)

TOR:

OG Anunoby – Concussion (Game-Time Decision)

Patrick McCaw – Thumb (Out)

Things to watch for:

The Hornets, Orlando Magic, and Miami Heat all play on Friday and the outcomes of those games are very important regarding the playoff race. Hornets fans may want to keep an eye on the scores of those while they cheer their team on. Unfortunately, the Heat and Magic are playing teams they could easily defeat, making the matchup against Toronto even more of a must-win.

I’m starting to wonder if the Hornets are just going to shut Cody Zeller down for the season. He’s been out for a good amount of time and just about every game, the team lists him as a scratch. Perhaps it would be best if he just rested for the remainder of the season.

Keys to the game:

In the game against the Raptors a few days ago, Charlotte allowed Toronto to shoot over 58% from the floor. That’s been par for the course as of late, but they cannot allow that again and hope to come out with a win.

They need to be especially diligent on the perimeter, as Toronto is 7th in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage, making almost 37% of their shots from behind the arc. Given that Charlotte is near the bottom of the league in terms of opponent three-point percentage, allowing the 6th highest percentage, they’ll be tested in this one. They’ll have to clamp down on defense and not allow open shooters.

The Hornets managed to steal one from the Raptors in dramatic fashion back in Toronto. The Raptors certainly remember that and will look to pay the Hornets back, big time. Can Charlotte take another one and help their playoff cause? We’ll find out Friday night at the Hive.