The Toronto Raptors host the Charlotte Hornets at 7:30 on TSN. The home side should be hungry, because the Hornets stole one from them in Carolina earlier in the year, winning shorthanded in overtime. That’s a bit of a trend when it comes to Hornets-Raptors games, as the Hornets have won seven of the last nine meetings and 14 of the last 19. It’s enough that head coach Dwane Casey is willing to call them the Raptors’ nemesis.
Here’s Casey pregame:
It drives you crazy to know that there’s a team like that, that you prepare for, whether it’s match-ups or whatever, you struggle with. We’ve gotta make sure we do something about that.
…
There’s always, over my years in the league, been a nemesis that no matter what happens, whether it’s the mach-ups, whatever it is, you struggle with. It’s not impossible. We’ve gotta find a way to get it done. But they are our nemesis.
The Hornets will be shorthanded once again against a mostly full-squad Raptors (Anthony Bennett is dealing with back soreness and Delon Wright had his left hand in a wrap before the game but told RR it’s nothing serious), as Al Jefferson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Raptor-killer Jeremy Lin are all out.
Nicolas Batum will play after testing out his sprained right toe before the game. The Raptors avoided Batum in their last meeting, one that saw the Hornets win even without their star wing, Jefferson, and MKG. The task grows taller with the Hornets having the services of Batum, who’s averaging 16.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in a career year ahead of free agency.
Spencer Hawes was ruled out shortly before tip off due to a back issue. Team doctors say he needs a backiatomy. Hawes is averaging 5.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 17 minutes, modest production but production that’s lifted the Hornets by 3.6 points per-100 possessions when he’s on the floor. His ability to hit the triple from the pivot makes him a nice fit for the post-Jefferson five-out offense head coach Steve Clifford is running.
PG: Kyle Lowry, Cory Joseph, Delon Wright
SF: DeMar DeRozan, T.J. Ross, Norman Powell
SF: DeMarre Carroll, James Johnson, Bruno Caboclo
PF: Luis Scola, Patrick Patterson, (Bennett)
C: Jonas Valanciunas, Bismack Biyombo, Lucas Nogueira
PG: Kemba Walker, Brian Roberts
SG: Batum, Troy Daniels, Aaron Harrison
SF: P.J. Hairston, Jeremy Lamb
PF: Marvin Williams, Mr. Steal Yo’ Girl
C: Cody Zeller, Tyler Hansbrough
The Raptors opened as six-point favorites, saw the line bought up to Raptors -7, and have since settled in with a 6.5-point edge. Despite the Raptors being a million spots ahead in the Eastern Conference standings, the two sides are only two games apart and have nearly identical offensive and defensive ratings.
Check out the full game preview here.
