The Toronto Raptors will host the Charlotte Hornets for a 7:30 tip on TSN 1 & 4 on Tuesday, their third-to-last home game of the season and sixth-last game overall. The Hornets are no longer a potential first-round threat but could loom as a second-round opponent, one the fan base would probably be worried about considering the recent history between the two sides.
The Raptors shook that bad energy off last time the two sides met, winning 104-94 at home a few weeks after a 109-99 overtime loss in Charlotte, and Tuesday stands as the season’s rubber match. It’s a really big game for Charlotte as they jockey for positioning three-to-six in the East, while the Raptors are simply trying to hold momentum and maintain health for the next 10 days.
You can check out Josh’s game preview here, which has some nice context since he also covers the Hornets. And now, a whole bunch of news.
DeRozan and Powell get honorable mentions
LeBron James and Josh Richardson were named the Eastern Conference Player and Rookie of the Month, respectively, on Tuesday. DeMar DeRozan received an honorable mention for the former, with Norman Powell receiving an honorable mention for the latter.
DeRozan appeared in 15 of the Raptors’ 16 games in March, averaging 25.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.1 steals in 36.5 minutes. He also shot 46.6 percent overall, 33.3 percent from long-range, and 87.2 percent on 9.9 free-throw attempts per-game. He continues to turn in the best offensive season of his career, ranking among the league’s best at getting to the rim and getting to the line while also improving his playmaking off the bounce and, at least in the latter half of March, stepping up his defensive effort some. DeRozan split Player of the Month with Kyle Lowry in January and won the award outright in April of last season.
The Raptors went 11-5 in the month, in large part because Powell was able to step up alongside DeRozan on the wing. The second-round pick appeared in 14 games, starting 12, coming off the bench for two, and drawing DNP-CDs in two others. His performance in earlier spot starts was encouraging, but his month really took off on March 15, when he entered the starting lineup for good. In the nine games from March 15-30, he averaged 10.4 points in 26.4 minutes, hitting 43.6 percent of his threes and defending well across three positions. Unfortunately, a late start in the month for his full-time gig, coupled with a pretty great month for Richardson (12 point per-game on 65.7-percent true shooting), leave him just shy of becoming the first Raptor to win Rookie of the Month since Jonas Valanciunas in March of 2013.
Lowry misses shootaround but should play
Lowry was absent from practice Monday in order to attend the National Championship game in Houston, where his Villanova Wildcats became national champions. Lowry likely just stayed behind when the team left San Antonio after Saturday’s game, a game Lowry (and DeRozan) sat out for rest.
The point guard also missed shootaround Tuesday but is expected to be back – and to play – tonight.
Yes, Lowry has returned. Casey: “He had peanuts and Diet Coke on his flight”. Turbulence? “Might’ve been a little turbulence, I don’t know”
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) April 5, 2016
Did Popovich give dap?
Speaking of the San Antonio game, people continue to try to figure out what, exactly, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich whispered to Dwane Casey after the game. It’s clear that the second part of it is “I sweat to god. No bullshit.” Some are confident the first part is Popovich telling Casey the Raptors will be in the finals, but it’s much harder to make out.
For his part, Casey told alleged 3-point shooting machine Bruce Arthur (and others) on Tuesday that Popovich did not say the Raptors would be in the finals, but declined to clear it up beyond that. It’s tough to know if Casey is telling the truth here, because if it were true, he certainly wouldn’t want that kind of whiteboard material available for Cleveland or those expectations on his own team.
Raptors updates
DeMarre Carroll remains sidelined but was encouraged Monday by his progress. Check back for last-minute updates, but as of right now, it’s expected that everyone else is good to go.
PG: Lowry, Cory Joseph, Delon Wright
SG: Powell, T.J. Ross
SF: DeRozan, James Johnson, Bruno Caboclo
PF: Luis Scola, Patrick Patterson, Jason Thompson
C: Valanciunas, Bismack Biyombo, Lucas Nogueira
UPDATE: Nobody is resting, per the beat reporters.
Hornets updates
The Hornets aren’t doing the whole “enter the playoffs at full strength” thing very well. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (shoulder) is done for the season, and Al Jefferson (quad) and Nic Batum (knee) are both questionable Tuesday. Check back for updates, but note that while neither is believed to be a long-term concern and the Hornets are fighting for home court, a franchise that’s never won a playoff game seems unlikely to take on much risk if these guys aren’t 100 percent.
UPDATE: Batum is out, Jefferson is in, per the Hornets.
PG: Kemba Walker, Jorge Gutierrez, Aaron Harrison
SG: Jeremy Lin, Troy Daniels
SF: Courtney Lee, Jeremy Lamb
PF: Marvin Williams, Spencer Hawes, Tyler Hansbrough
C: Cody Zeller, Jefferson, Mr. Steal Your Girl
Figuring out who is what in the Hornets frontcourt is a bit of a mess, but they can go five-out at times, so the Raptors will need to beware of that (strangely, the Raptors actually match up better if Jefferson can go, and he’s a nice test for Valanciunas). Lin is listed at SG here because they’ve played a lot of two-PG looks, and he’d stand to see more time at the off-guard if Batum sits, forcing Lee to the three a bit more.
The line
The Raptors opened as 5.5-point favorites but the line has since shifted to Raptors -4, despite the Batum news. Raptors -4 actually feels fair given the Hornets have something on the line and that home-court usually means a 3-3.5-point edge. Withholding a prediction until we find out if anyone is resting, but I like Toronto’s chances to win, if not cover, as is.
UPDATE: Raptors 100, Hornets 95.
