Hornets vs. Raptors Recap: The good, the bad and the LaMelo Ball (Jan. 16)

For the second game in a row, the Hornets came down to the wire against the Raptors and, for the second game in a row, Charlotte came up short on Saturday, falling 116-113.

Much like Thursday, the Hornets had a shot to tie the game late and again squandered the opportunity. Terry Rozier’s effort with 3.4 seconds left was short and though it looked like he may have been fouled on the play, the officials did not make a call, allowing Toronto to in-bound the ball with 0.4 seconds left to end the game.

Charlotte jumped out to an early 12-2 lead on the night but quickly found itself down double digits early in the second quarter. Terry Rozier helped pull the Hornets back into the game with six points in the final 10 seconds of the first half and Charlotte took a lead early in the second half with the first six points.

After leading for much of the third, Toronto grabbed the lead back and the two sides traded advantages throughout the remainder of the second half with the lead never growing larger than five points. In total, the game had nine lead changes and six ties.

Gordon Hayward (25), Terry Rozier (24) and Devonte’ Graham (20) all reached at least 20 points on the night. Norman Powell scored 24 for the Raptors while Chris Boucher had 20.

The Good: Clutch shooting

With the exception of one possession, the Hornets hit some enormous shots down the stretch. Graham and Rozier combined for a string of 14 consecutive points with four 3-pointers in that run, each burying two. After only scoring 22 points in the fourth quarter on Thursday, seeing Charlotte knock down big shot after big shot down the stretch. Again, with the exception of one possession, when they needed a basket, they got one. Unfortunately, Toronto did just enough to answer all of those baskets to come away with the win but it was a valiant fight from the Hornets.

The Bad: 3-point defense

While Toronto's offensive gameplan is centered around making 3-pointers, they were particularly proficient about it in the two games against Charlotte. After going 20-for-50 on 3-pointers on Thursday, the Raptors went 21-for-49 on Saturday. Saturday's shooting performance from the Raptors, though, included missing their first six to start the game.

The LaMelo Ball: Solid contributions

While some of the surprise of LaMelo Ball contributions early in his rookie season has worn off, his performances haven't waned. On Saturday, he had 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting overall and 2-of-6 shooting from deep with five rebounds and four assists. He had a stronger first half than second half, which is why he did not close the game in favor of the starters on the night.