It is not true that the Toronto Raptors have never beaten the Charlotte Hornets. It is true that it often felt that way in recent years, with the Raptors somehow proving snakebitten every time they go up against Michael Jordan’s squad. That seems to have been erased over the past two seasons, as Toronto’s topped Charlotte in four of their last five meetings (prior to that, Charlotte had won six in a row, and the Raptors have still only one once in Charlotte in their last 10 visits).
The Raptors can continue to swing the historical record (29-40) back in their favor Friday, when they visit the Hornets for the first showdown of the season. These games always prove pretty entertaining, with a quality point guard battle, a tough defender up against the Raptors’ top scorer, and a handful of bigs who aren’t all that great but as a rotation make up more than the sum of their parts, and who present some difficult matchup issues.
Plus, there are tons of injuries on both sides, here in November! Fun!
That long night tips off at 7 p.m. on Sportsnet One and TSN 1050. Here’s the full game preview.
Raptors updates
Jonas Valanciunas (knee) and Terrence Ross (finger) both practiced Thursday and participated in shootaround Friday. Both, however, are considered game-time decisions – and remain game-time decisions at 5:45 – so check back before tip-off for updates. With a back-to-back looming, it seems unlikely the Raptors would push the issue with Valanciunas. Ross’ injury doesn’t seem the type prone to flare-ups or one that can really be damaged by playing through it, so he seems more liekly to suit up.
If Valanciunas can’t go, I’m expecting Lucas Nogueira to draw the start at center. Jakob Poeltl has impressed out of the gate but stumbled some as a starter the last two games, and returning him to a bench role not only allows him to match up with bench bigs and keeps the rotations closer to their norm, it also prevents the Raptors from having to start a pair of rookies together. In 18 minutes together, the Poeltl-Pascal Siakam duo has been outscored by 39.3 points per-100 possessions. That’s not a criticism of them, it’s just really tough to play two rookies together against opposing starters.
Nogueira was also quite good his last two times out, even earning the starting nod for the second half Wednesday. The Raptors figure to treat Kemba Walker similarly to how they treated Russell Westbrook, and Nogueira was a revelation helping on the Thunder star.
UPDATE: Valanciunas is starting and Ross is available off the bench. I’d expect Nogueira to be the backup center in this case, but that’s your key rotation specific to monitor (as well as the Ross-Norman Powell-DeMarre Carroll minute split).
PG: Kyle Lowry, Cory Joseph, Fred VanVleet
SG: DeMar DeRozan, Norman Powell
SF: DeMarre Carroll, Terrence Ross
PF: Patrick Patterson, Pascal Siakam, Bruno Caboclo
C: Jonas Valanciunas, Lucas Nogueira, Jakob Poeltl
OUT: Delon Wright, Jared Sullinger
Hornets updates
I’m so mad at the way the universe treats Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Please, one season, let us see 82 games of him. He’s very good, and a ton of fun to watch. Alas, he’s dealing with lower back soreness and will miss his sixth consecutive meeting with the Raptors. That’s great news for DeRozan and for the Raptors’ offense as a whole, but it sucks from the perspective of general NBA fandom. Let MKG stay healthy, world.
On the bright side for the Hornets, Roy Hibbert is set to return from a five-game absence caused by knee soreness. There’s no word yet on if he’ll move back into his starting position or if Cody Zeller will continue in that role. In either case, Hibbert is expected to be limited to 12-14 minutes, per head coach Steve Clifford.
Jeremy Lamb (hamstring) will sit, denying us the weirdo Ross-Lamb matchup. Treveon Graham (!!) gets his first NBA start.
Normally, the Hornets are a strong candidate to matchup smaller against for stretches, as Marvin Williams plays a lot of power forward. Tonight, however, they’re down a pair of wings and fully stocked in the frontcourt, so it seems likely Williams will slide to the three a bit more, with two traditional (albeit stretchy, in the case of all but Hibbert) bigs on the floor. Defenders beware, Frank Kaminsky will absolutely steal your girl.
PG:Â Kemba Walker, Ramon Sessions, Aaron Harrison
SG:Â Nicolas Batum, Brian Roberts
SF:Â Treveon Graham, Marco Belinelli
PF: Marvin Williams, Frank Kaminsky, Christian Wood
C: Cody Zeller, Roy Hibbert, Spencer Hawes
OUT:Â Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Jeremy Lamb
Assorted
- The Raptors return home for the second night of their first back-to-back of the season tomorrow, as they host the New York Knicks. The Knicks are in Boston tonight.
- I was at Raptors 905 media day today, and there is just a ton of optimism and excitement around the team in their second year. Expect some pieces on Coach Stack and Bruno Caboclo next week.
- Caboclo and Fred VanVleet are expected to see significant time with the 905 in the coming weeks, particularly if the Raptors can get healthy. Expect both to be assigned Sunday, and possibly even for Saturday’s practice if the team’s flight gets in at a reasonable time.
The line
The Hornets opened as 3-point favorites but the line quickly moved to Hornets -1, likely in part due to the Kidd-Gilchrist news (that also bumped the over-under by about five points). That line shouldn’t surprise you, even with the opening mark suggesting the teams are almost even on neutral court – the Hornets are really good, and they rank second at the defensive end so far. Still, the Raptors have been pretty solid so far, and even a tough road game at The Hive inspires confidence.
Raptors 101, Hornets 96
