97 - 96

Box Scores: NBA - Yahoo

GAME SUMMARY

Location: Spectrum Center

Officials: Brent Barnaky, Scott Twardoski, and Jenna Schroeder

Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Toronto Raptors	25	20	21	31	97
Charlotte Hornets	22	28	22	24	96

TEAM STATS

Team	PTS	FG	FG%	3P	3P%	FT	FT%	OREB	TREB	AST	PF	STL	TO	BLK
Toronto Raptors	97	38-92	41.3%	7-34	20.6%	14-19	73.7%	15	50	19	19	6	5	4
Charlotte Hornets	96	32-82	39.0%	14-38	36.8%	18-22	81.8%	16	63	19	19	3	18	6

PLAYER STATS


Toronto Raptors	MIN	PTS	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	ORB	DRB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	±
Brandon Ingram^SF	10:57	6	2-7	0-2	2-2	0	0	0	2	0	3	0	0	-5
Scottie Barnes^PF	29:59	17	6-14	0-2	5-6	1	3	4	0	1	1	2	2	0
Collin Murray-Boyles^C	32:17	4	1-3	0-1	2-2	6	9	15	3	1	0	1	1	2
RJ Barrett^SG	35:08	28	12-25	1-7	3-5	1	6	7	1	1	0	0	2	-1
Immanuel Quickley^PG	33:13	21	8-18	3-11	2-4	1	3	4	3	1	0	0	0	3
Sandro Mamukelashvili	23:51	10	4-8	2-4	0-0	1	2	3	2	1	0	0	5	8
Ja’Kobe Walter	19:26	3	1-4	1-4	0-0	1	1	2	2	0	0	0	1	1
Jamal Shead	24:14	4	2-7	0-2	0-0	0	1	1	6	1	0	0	5	8
Gradey Dick	11:33	0	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	2	0
Ochai Agbaji	11:48	2	1-3	0-0	0-0	3	1	4	0	0	0	2	1	-12
Jamison Battle	07:34	2	1-2	0-1	0-0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1
Jonathan Mogbo	00:00	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Garrett Temple	00:00	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Chucky Hepburn	00:00	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
A.J. Lawson	00:00	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Alijah Martin	00:00	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jakob Poeltl	00:00	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Charlotte Hornets	MIN	PTS	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	ORB	DRB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	±
Kon Knueppel^SF	32:50	11	4-17	3-11	0-0	3	5	8	3	0	1	1	3	3
Miles Bridges^PF	29:58	12	4-9	2-5	2-2	1	2	3	5	0	1	2	4	9
Moussa Diabaté^C	30:28	6	2-4	0-0	2-2	2	9	11	1	2	2	2	1	0
Sion James^SG	27:47	8	2-4	2-2	2-2	0	2	2	3	0	0	0	1	0
LaMelo Ball^PG	25:08	15	7-20	1-7	0-0	3	4	7	7	1	0	1	1	17
Collin Sexton	23:41	22	7-13	3-5	5-5	1	1	2	0	0	0	3	3	-3
Tidjane Salaün	20:44	4	1-4	1-2	1-2	1	5	6	0	0	0	3	1	-15
Josh Green	13:12	3	1-2	1-2	0-0	1	1	2	0	0	0	2	1	-15
PJ Hall	14:50	8	3-5	0-0	2-3	4	3	7	0	0	1	2	2	1
Liam McNeeley	21:19	7	1-4	1-4	4-6	0	2	2	0	0	1	2	2	-2
Pat Connaughton	00:00	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Tre Mann	00:00	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ryan Kalkbrenner	00:00	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Brandon Miller	00:00	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Mason Plumlee	00:00	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Antonio Reeves	00:00	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
KJ Simpson	00:00	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Grant Williams	00:00	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

foofighter1351 | Raptors

47 | 2 days ago

Of course, a game winning 3, after all that

FeeAlternative1783 | Raptors

29 | 2 days ago

By Quickley too. They never saw it coming

BetweenTheBuzzAndMe | Charlotte Bobcats

45 | 2 days ago

this is why you don’t leave your offense out to die for the entire 4th to rest Melo for a couple extra minutes

Virginia_Slim | CHA

15 | a day ago

+17 and glued to the bench until less than 2 minutes left in a one point loss.

BetweenTheBuzzAndMe | Charlotte Bobcats

14 | a day ago

I can understand holding Melo’s minutes to the mid-20s, but you just can’t glue him to the bench for an entire quarter like that. And you can’t play those minutes with Sexton and 4 non-playmakers. Lee’s rotations have cost us a minimum of 5 wins at this point

gargoyleboy69 | Bulls

5 | a day ago

Happened multiple times this season, it’s going to boil over for him. Many of the players spoke in the offseason about the playoffs. The FO speaks all the time about changing the culture. None of the talk is reflective of the reality.

The Perk clip from earlier was discredited because it’s Kendrick Perkins but the sentiment is clear. LaMelo is available, he wants to play and he wants to win.

All of this precaution became idiotic once it involved actively throwing away winnable games. Hornets could have 18 wins right now if they weren’t penny-pinching minutes to restrict their best player.

zOmgFishes | Knicks

36 | 2 days ago

It’s cathartic as a Knicks fan who thought RJ was never utilized properly by Thibs to see him thrive.

schoolhater12 | Raptors

36 | 2 days ago

this win was on him driving relentlessly and refusing to lose

Carni-V-oreX | Knicks

3 | a day ago

Dont think its a thibs issue as much as Randle and RJ having a lot of overlap offensively. Brunson as well to an extent. All of them wanted to get in the paint. Also think less pressure to succeed is helping him

[deleted]

20 | 2 days ago

[deleted]

Punjabiveer30 | Raptors

8 | a day ago

This means that raptors > OKC

Zealousideal-Cold246 | Toronto Huskies

5 | a day ago

Dawg we’re 2-2 against them lmao

[deleted]

6 | a day ago

[deleted]

Zealousideal-Cold246 | Toronto Huskies

6 | a day ago

Ima come back here Friday because Boston is 2-0 up on us already.

BoisterousBrigand | 76ers

21 | 2 days ago

Scrappy game between 2 teams with bright futures, more fun than the low score would lead you to believe

sportsinaround | Hornets

17 | a day ago

Lee’s rotations were wack and sus. Not to even mention Lamelo being out 90% of the 4th. Shouldn’t have been a one possession game to begin with.

Anonemoney

6 | a day ago

I legit thought they were trying to lose the game at one point. Maybe they were?

gargoyleboy69 | Bulls

2 | a day ago

It’s happened multiple times this season. It’s intentional and clearly there’s no pressure from the FO on the staff to win games because nothing has changed.

Lee is protected because he and Jeff are best buds.

Anonemoney

2 | a day ago

Gotta be draft pick focused. They’ve been a bit too good lately and it’s a stacked draft. They should get one more bite at the Apple before trying to get good

gargoyleboy69 | Bulls

6 | a day ago

He’s going to ask out sooner or later. He’s available and wants to play but is being restricted to be protected for a future that isn’t even guaranteed.

What’s the end goal here? Restrict him until his ankles become iron? Break the restriction once there’s nothing to play for? Restrict him this season and draft a high pick then just hope that he doesn’t get hurt next year?

Throwing away seasons to protect a player is the antithesis of professional sport. Imagine if Philly did that to Embiid and he never got to peak. Imagine if LA or New Orleans did that to AD and he never got to peak. Silly plan all around but it’s Charlotte, no one cares and the sub has a hate boner for LaMelo so the situation will never be truly contextualized.

Charlotte could’ve been the surprise competitive team in the league and on the standings, but instead everyone’s time and another season has been wasted.

Desertsprinter | Raptors

15 | 2 days ago

We actually got a lucky shot for once. Thank you IQ.

gargoyleboy69 | Bulls

18 | 2 days ago

Charlotte had no reason to lose this. S/o the FO and Charles Lee for the LaMelo minutes restriction, every lead dissipated when he went to the bench. +17 in a 1 point loss.

Priorities in the mud. Charlotte could be in a play-in race. Too many winnable games lost to protect a player instead of utilizing them when they’re available.

Starveiled | Hornets

1 | a day ago

Yeah let’s throw him out there for 35 minutes a game even though he has proven time and time again his ankles will implode. /s

It’s not ideal, but on a b2b they have to rest Lamelo. It sucks, but its the reality the Hornets have to deal with. Its either that or he sits entirely today or tomorrow.

gargoyleboy69 | Bulls

-2 | a day ago

Winning games should be the priority. They are paying a player supermax money yet can’t trust him to carry a supermax workload. The team is better with him on the floor and they are losing games because he’s not allowed to be on the floor.

These retorts make no sense. The sarcastic “play him 35 minutes and let him die” jabs are not the serve you think it is. No competent franchise is sabotaging the team and the season to protect a guy they already paid especially when they’ve branded their overhaul as a changing of the culture.

What future are you protecting him for? What is the end goal here? What science tells you that once the restriction is up, he won’t get injured again? What science tells you that he won’t get hurt within the first minutes of the first quarter off of a freak play?

All this precaution is just scheduling losses and wasting everyone’s time. There’s no snarky retort to deny this. Charlotte is wasting the season and wasting his availability because they are scared and distrusting of him. And if that’s the case then fine, look to move him but why waste a season when his health will never be a guarantee. Part of health is luck every player gets injured.

The unfortunate part is that the main reason you guys are so hellbent on defending this is because Charlotte has never been competitive in your lifetime and now you’ve become so conditioned to losing that you have no idea how a competitive institution operates.

The goal should be to win, end of story. The team has been competitive all year with the best player playing in shackles. Leaving games on the board to protect him from the unprotectable. What a waste of time. Malpractice, incompetence, and a cardinal sin to professional sport.

Starveiled | Hornets

2 | a day ago

“Cardinal sin to professional sport” Boy you are melodramatic.

In an ideal world, Lamelo playing full time minutes would be the way to go, but he has shown that he cannot do that. You act like their hesitance with his health is unfounded or that they are wrong for distrusting him. They have every reason to distrust his ability to stay healthy. Your complaints about them paying him max money, but not playing him are valid. I wish this wasn’t the case, but it is the reality of who Lamelo is at this point and you just have to accept it. I am sure Lamelo wants to play more, but he has not been able to for years.

And yeah, obviously there is the risk he still gets injured in some freak way. No shit. I don’t know what “science” you expect me to give you other than the obvious fact that more playing time buts more stress on his body and increases risk for injury.

They clearly believe the best thing for the team and his longevity is restricting his minutes. If that leads to more minutes on the floor over the course of the season where he is at least consistently in the lineup, then it is the right move. At least with that, they can at least be consistent with his use rather than him being in and out of the lineup completely for weeks at a time. So forgive me if I support the team being tactful to maximize his use over the season rather than recklessly throwing him out there to satisfy angry, shortsighted redditors.

schoolhater12 | Raptors

15 | 2 days ago

fuck yeah. That was the RJ and IQ quarter. the two of them were awesome in the 4th. Beat the hornets and the refs. IQ has been underwhelming overall but he has been good in the clutch. Happy for him

Cheechers23 | Raptors

12 | 2 days ago

OG trade package won that one for us lol

danielisverycool | Raptors

5 | a day ago

My sweet prince 😔

theuncleiroh | Raptors

15 | 2 days ago

Fuck Miles Bridges

campbelljaa

14 | 2 days ago

Sweet justice for some of those egregious calls from the refs who clearly had money on the Hornets to win, thank god

thirdeyedesign

5 | a day ago

I think they’re just poor refs, there were a few phantom fouls against the Hornets as well. That 5th on Shead was pure bullshit, tho.

lrt106 | Hornets

-1 | a day ago

HAHAHA did you only watch the last 5 minutes? Good lord

gregbraaa

16 | 2 days ago

BANG FUCK YOU AND FUCK THOSE REFS WOOOOO

schoolhater12 | Raptors

7 | 2 days ago

the 4th quarter was crazy 12-2 fta in the hornets favor

aiden3buckets | Hornets

-3 | 2 days ago

Yeah that’s what hand checking and fouling all game does when they start blowing the whistle

Anonemoney

1 | a day ago

You’ll prob get downvoted but I agreed with most the calls as a raptors fan lol. The only thing they missed was contact on a few raptors drives but all the fouls they called looked legit

gregbraaa

9 | a day ago

RJ should have gotten 3 calls, they called crap on Shead twice in the same possession, missed Bridges touching the ball before going out of bounds… all in the last 5 minutes

If you wanna call Scottie for a moving screen on the game winner, fine, and if you want to say the first half they were missing calls on the Raptors, that’s fine too. Let’s just agree these refs were incompetent.

schoolhater12 | Raptors

-1 | a day ago

get the fuck out of here

thirdeyedesign

9 | a day ago

Worst officiated game I’ve seen this year. Multiple blown calls both ways.

aiden3buckets | Hornets

-17 | 2 days ago

Refs let Raptors play football all game

OverallMistake8198 | Raptors

8 | 2 days ago

LMAO???

sna28 | Tampa Bay Raptors

10 | 2 days ago

u’d think by the 10th time in 1 quarter the hornets announcers mention barnes isn’t in the game/benched/getting an “extended rest” they’d realize hes in the locker room injured

brehhs | Raptors

11 | a day ago

If RJ wasn’t injured im convinced he should’ve been an all star

29671 | Hornets

3 | a day ago

https://www.tankathon.com/

blazikenz | Canada

4 | 2 days ago

📞 5️⃣

Renegadeforever2024 | Raptors

1 | 2 days ago

Unbelievable

heat_fan_ | Raptors

3 | 2 days ago

IQ holyyy shit

[deleted]

2 | 2 days ago

[deleted]

thirdeyedesign

1 | a day ago

That was a good game? I’d hate to catch an ugly Hornets game 😁

Starveiled | Hornets

3 | a day ago

The game was an ugly watch, but I gotta say a lot can be attributed to very good defensive effort from both teams.

Still, it was rough.

Winter_Purpose8695 | Philippines

1 | a day ago

Are the hornets this good? Or only when they play the raptors?

Gavin1453 | Raptors

2 | a day ago

Against OKC too

GregtheGrea7

1 | a day ago

I’m so glad we don’t have to play the hornets again. They have been a pain this season.

GeneralSerpent | Raptors

1 | a day ago

RJ is so goated for the team. CMB was huge on the boards.

HarryPotterToenail | Toronto Huskies

0 | a day ago

I feel fucking sick lol, never want to think about this game again

NatsuAru | Raptors

-1 | 2 days ago

AHHHHHHHH

arrow00 | Raptors

-4 | 2 days ago

I still dont like IQ shooting 3s, but i’ll tolerate it for now

metaslaves | Toronto Huskies

13 | a day ago

Wtf do you want him to do then because he’s our best shooter

arrow00 | Raptors

-9 | a day ago

hes not our best shooter bud

metaslaves | Toronto Huskies

4 | a day ago

Given the volume and the types of shot he takes? He’s easily our best shooter.

arrow00 | Raptors

-3 | a day ago

Easily?

So he’s better than Barnes, Ingram and RJ who have higher ppg, better fg and more attempts?

metaslaves | Toronto Huskies

3 | a day ago

Shooter, not scorer.

arrow00 | Raptors

-1 | a day ago

ok so what does best shooter even mean then

metaslaves | Toronto Huskies

2 | a day ago

Means they’re the best at shooting the ball. Usually when people say shooter they’re talking about 3 point shooting.

ribbonsboy

1 | a day ago

I still dont like IQ shooting 3s, but i’ll tolerate it for now

So he’s better than Barnes, Ingram and RJ who have higher ppg, better fg and more attempts?

I don’t have a dog in this fight so you got me curious. Since we’re talking about 3s, let’s look at the numbers… More attempts? Quickley has 249 attempts. Second highest is BI and he’s nearly 70 behind IQ at 187.

Quickley: ~35.7% on ~6.9 3PA/game
Ingram: ~35.3% on ~5.1 3PA/game
RJ: ~35.7% on ~5.3 3PA/game
Scottie: ~35.2% on ~3.3 3PA/game

Really, they’re all super close (a couple good games for any player and they’re in the lead) but going by the current data, IQ is our best 3pt shooter given his higher volume.

arrow00 | Raptors

-1 | a day ago

I was only referring to ppg, fga and fg% because i assumed the discussion was about scoring

Tavarin | TOR

2 | a day ago

No one said best scorer, they said best shooter.

ilickedysharks | Raptors

1 | a day ago

Bro IQ shooting 3s is the only reason hes starting

arrow00 | Raptors

1 | a day ago

Well we cant have shead starting.. so yeah IQ is gonna start

tkc123 | Raptors

-5 | a day ago

The Hornets commentators have got to be amongst the worst in the league. Trashing every Raptor players game. Celebrating like they have the game already won when Raps couldn’t hit a three.

__wasteman | Raptors

7 | a day ago

They’re pretty well liked. Hum diddly dee!

gregbraaa

5 | a day ago

I cringe at the hum diddly dee but I know people have the same sentiment about our “get that garbage outta here,” get over myself, and realize they’re just trying to make the game fun

JohnStamosAsABear | Raptors

3 | a day ago

Eric Collins is great, I don’t mind him at all. Would definitely like him more if he was the Raptors announcer though.

la_volpe_rossa | Raptors

1 | a day ago

Made that buzzer beater all the more satisfying.

The Toronto Raptors (23-15) defeat the Charlotte Hornets (13-24), 97-96 off a buzzer beater from Immanuel Quickley

AHHHHHHHH