Gameday: Raptors @ Hornets, Nov 11

We know the Raptors are very good. After all, they’re 4-2 on the season with a roster mostly similar to last year’s 56-win squad and it looks like there was substantial internal development over the summer. Power dynamics in the Eastern Conference seem familiar thus far in the season, so it feels like the Raptors are on their way to another 50-win season and deep playoff run. Only the Cavaliers are above them.

But there’s another team making noise in the Eastern Conference in the young season — the Hornets.

The Hornets are one of the more controversial teams in the NBA right now, flaunting a 6-1 record against mostly good-but-not-great teams. Their roster is loaded with young, middling talent and head coach Steve Clifford is one of the most well respected tacticians in the league. But are the Hornets legit? It’s hard to say.

Since Clifford took over in 2013, the Hornets have pulled elite defense out of rosters that should be average at best. That’s held true this season as well, with the Hornets allowing just 95.4 points per 100 possessions, good for the second best defense in the league.

The Raptors proved they can roast the NBA’s best defenses with a commanding wins against the Heat, Pistons, and Thunder, but what makes the Hornets different is how well they match up with the Raptors, particularly if they’re healthy.

DeMar DeRozan will face the suffocating defense of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist for the majority of the night, with Nicolas Batum likely filling in when Kidd-Gilchrist rests. That’s a considerable amount of length and quite possibly the most DeRozan has faced so far. Fortunately, DeMar can be somewhat hidden on Kidd-Gilchrist to conserve energy, though he’ll need to watch him closely off the ball. Kidd-Gilchrist is a masterful slasher despite his reputation as an offensive liability.

It sounds like Roy Hibbert will return from a knee injury tonight, and chances are the Hornets slowly work him back into things. Cody Zeller has manned the center spot well in his absence and should see the majority of the minutes there. Jakob Poeltl should fill in nicely if Jonas Valanciunas doesn’t play, but that could present problems on the offensive glass. The Hornets are third in the league in defensive rebounding, at 36.7 per game. They really don’t screw around on defense.

At point guard, Kyle Lowry faces Kemba Walker. Walker’s speed and silky smooth stroke are tough orders for most point guards, but Lowry’s smarts and raw strength should prevent Walker from having a great game.

It’s odd how well these teams match up. That’s part of what makes this such an important game.

A win against the Hornets ties the two teams for second spot in the Eastern Conference and has the potential to propel the Raptors to the first spot if Cleveland beats the Wizards tonight. It isn’t so much the actual positioning that matters, but the perception that comes along with the standings. A loss tonight legitimizes the Hornets, who, like the Raptors, have an especially tough stretch of games against the league’s best coming up.

It will likely be the two teams’ benches that decide this game. The Hornets’ bench has propelled them to several comebacks lately (despite consisting of an odd cast of Marco Belinelli, Spencer Hawes, and Frank Kaminsky), much like the Raptors. Good minutes from Norman Powell and Lucas Nogueira, and Patrick Patterson are an absolute must.

The keys to tonight’s game are simple. Put pressure on the Hornets to score in isolation settings, make the extra pass to compromise their steady defense, and most importantly, control the tempo.

Here are tonight’s projected lineups:

Raptors

PG: Kyle Lowry, Cory Joseph, Fred VanVleet

SG: DeMar DeRozan, Norman Powell

SF: DeMarre Carroll, Terrence Ross

PF: Pascal Siakam, Patrick Patterson

C: Jakob Poeltl, Lucas Nogueira

GTD: Jonas Valanciunas

Out: Delon Wright, Jared Sullinger

Hornets

PG: Kemba Walker, Ramon Sessions, Brian Roberts

SG: Nicolas Batum, Marco Belinelli