Hornets 138-133 Raptors (Oct. 30, 2024) Game Recap

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Tre Mann scored 27 points off the bench, Nick Richards had 24 points and 14 rebounds and the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Toronto Raptors 138-133 on Wednesday night to secure their first home win of the season.

Cody Martin had a career-high 25 points and LaMelo Ball scored 19 for Charlotte, causing a 23-point lead to evaporate in the first half before regaining it with a 12-0 run at the end of the third quarter.

RJ Barrett had 31 points, Gradey Dick had a career-high 30 and Jakob Poeltl had 20 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Raptors, who were playing without Scottie Barnes.

The Hornets got 72 points from their bench, 69 from Mann, Martin and Grant Williams, who had 17.

Takeaways

Raptors: Toronto looked completely unbalanced offensively in the first quarter of its first game without Barnes, who will be out for at least three weeks with an orbital fracture. Toronto turned the ball over seven times, leading to 10 Charlotte points, and trailed 30-16 before exploding in the second quarter, scoring 43 points.

Hornets: Charlotte is a different team when the ball is on the floor. Although he is prone to silly fluctuations, there is no doubt that he makes everyone around him better. That was evident when he sparked a 12-0 run late in the third quarter by scoring five straight points, grabbing a steal and assisting on Mann's 3-pointer as Charlotte went from trailing by five to 103-96 .

Key moment

With a three-man lead, Ball drove down the left side of the lane and scored with 29 seconds left, leaving the game down to two possessions. From there, it was a free throw shooting contest that the Hornets finished off.

Key statistics

Mann, Martin and Williams combined to shoot 67% (24 of 36) from the field.

Next

The Raptors host the Lakers on Friday evening. The Hornets host the Celtics in back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday night.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA