Raptors’ Youngsters Make Statement in Comeback Win Over Hornets

The Toronto Raptors defeated the Charlotte Hornets in overtime in Charlotte on Wednesday night, 112-110. They were led by… checks notes… Terrance Davis and OG Anunoby? To be more clear, it was a team win from the Raptors, who had seven players score 8-points or more and all five starters score in the teens.  However,…

The Toronto Raptors defeated the Charlotte Hornets in overtime in Charlotte on Wednesday night, 112-110. They were led by… checks notes… Terrance Davis and OG Anunoby?

To be more clear, it was a team win from the Raptors, who had seven players score 8-points or more and all five starters score in the teens. 

However, it was Davis who let his presence be felt first, scoring 13 points in the opening quarter in the first start of his young career. It came just a night after head coach Nick Nurse called him out for not playing well, saying, of the eight minutes he played against Portland, “It was probably five to many.” Still, Nurse started Davis alongside Kyle Lowry and Patrick McCaw, allowing Davis to simplify his game by playing off the ball instead of being a primary ball-handler. 

Davis finished the game with a career-high 23-points along with 5 assists, 11 rebounds, 4 made threes, and a game-high +20.

Anunoby was also aggressive from the start, hurting the Hornets in the paint before expanding his game to beyond the three-point line later on. Anunoby scored 19 points and 7 rebounds on an extremely efficient 8-13 shooting including 3-4 from deep, which he will be very happy with after struggling to see his three-ball go down for a long stretch. 

Anunoby was also exceptional on defense. He played 36 minutes and found the right mix between being aggressive and smart, committing zero turnovers and using his strength against Charlottes’ smaller wings when he had an opportunity to.

The Raptors are without four key players, so it’s not surprising that their bench struggled in this one: All five of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Oshae Brissett, Chris Boucher, Stanley Johnson, and Matt Thomas had a negative box plus/minus on the night, collectively shooting just 6-23. 

However, it’s important to remember that, given the situation, it’s amazing that the bench is even playing good enough to keep the Raptors in these games. If you don’t believe me, consider 1) all five bench players are being given extra responsibility and bigger roles than they expected due to three sudden injuries coming at once 2) three of them (Brissett, Boucher, and Thomas) went undrafted and are new to the league and 3) three of them (Brissett, Thomas, and Johnson) were playing in the third night of a back-to-back-to-back after playing for the Raptors 905 on Monday, against the Trail Blazers on Tuesday, and in Charlotte on Wednesday.

So, while the Raptors were led by Davis and Anunoby, the other youngsters including McCaw and the bench did just enough on both sides of the ball to give the Raptors a chance to win. And you know what they say about playing the Charlotte Hornets: If you have a chance to win against the Hornets — with Kyle Lowry leading your team — you’re probably going to win against the Hornets.

Lowry struggled all night, but he provided a much-needed spark late in the fourth quarter to bring the Raptors back and send the game to overtime. After hitting a clutch three with 2:56 remaining, he made a tough layup with just 17.0 seconds left to put the Raptors up 100-99. Finally, he was quick to help off his man and contest Devonte’ Graham’s missed floater at the end of regulation. 

It was night Lowry didn’t have it — shooting just 4-13 — and he knew it, deferring to others and dishing out 9 assists. He stepped up to make plays down the stretch when his team needed him and deferred when they didn’t, which says a lot about his game and winning attitude. 

The other starters, Serge Ibaka and McCaw, were both really solid. Ibaka had 23 points and 11 rebounds on 10-19 shooting, giving him his sixth-straight double-double. He committed a bad off-ball foul in the dying seconds to send the Hornets to the line to tie it and ultimately send the game to overtime, but he made up for it in the overtime period, scoring 6 of the Raptors’ 12 points. 

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McCaw played one of his better games as a Raptor. Although he wasn’t as aggressive as he can be, he scored 13 points on 6-10 shooting and, more importantly, dished out a season-high 11 assists along with five rebounds. Defensively, he had one steal and several deflections, seeming to lead a fast-break and find the open man every time the Hornets turned the ball over (including twice when he found Thomas for open threes).  

Overall, the Raptors failed to play a complete game but instead played great offense in the first half and great defense in the second. They were evidently a tired team playing away on the second night of a back-to-back without four key players and they made uncharacteristic mistakes on the defensive end, failing to rotate and defend the perimeter well enough (the Hornets shot 15-37 from three). 

However, despite being down for most of the game, the Raptors fought until the end. The entire team contributed, and they played together from the start, assisting on 34 of their 42 made field-goals. 

Their captain Lowry got them to overtime and Ibaka helped close it out, but it was Davis (who had 6 of his own points in overtime) and Anunoby with bounce-back games that led the Raptors to their 25th win of the season.