The Hornets will look to build on Saturday’s thrilling triumph over the Celtics with a third-straight overall victory as they head north of the border to battle the Toronto Raptors beginning tonight at 6 p.m. ET.
These teams met way back on Oct. 22 with the Raptors riding a hot start in route to a 127-106 home victory. Kemba Walker racked up 26 points and five assists for the visitors, although it wasn’t enough to overcome five Toronto players scoring at least 15 points while shooting 57.5 percent as a team from the field.
Marvin Williams finished with 13 points and a +23 rating over 30 minutes in last night’s comeback win against Boston. The 14-year veteran is shooting 37.4 percent from deep this season and ranks tied for third amongst power forwards in three-pointers (135; only Griffin and Crowder have more). Williams is also just 18 makes away from a new single-season career high.
But it’ll be on the defensive side where the Hornets will need Williams most as he’ll pair up against Pascal Siakam, one of the leading frontrunners for the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award. The Cameroonian-born, New Mexico State product is ranked second in the league in scoring for power forwards this month (19.4 PPG; mini. 10 GP), while also putting up 6.5 RPG and 4.2 APG for the NBA’s second-best team.
Saturday’s victory has moved the Hornets to within 2.5 games of the Miami Heat for the East’s eighth and final playoff spot, but there is still much work to be done if Charlotte is going to make one last push. With the Raptors likely missing All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry (ankle sprain), look for them to use Siakam heavily in their offense as they try to deny the Hornets a potentially-huge road win.
Game Note – Charlotte has not won three straight games since Jan. 14-19… Toronto is 5-5 over its last 10 games… Kyle Lowry has missed Toronto’s last two outings (1-1, both vs. Oklahoma City)… The Hornets’ 18-point comeback against Boston was their largest of the season (previous: 15 vs. Chicago on Feb. 2).
Classic Fact – Long-time Charlotte Hornets veterans Muggsy Bogues and Dell Curry played the final game of their respective NBA careers with the Toronto Raptors. Bogues’ last outing took place on Jan. 27, 2001, while Curry’s came in a Eastern Conference playoff game on May 2, 2002.