Toronto @ Charlotte preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 18, 2019 ) Charlotte 96, Toronto 132

Losers of five of their last eight and struggling to put together a representative lineup, the Toronto Raptors will limp into Charlotte on Wednesday to take on the Hornets. With star guard Fred VanVleet (hamstring) joining a trio of injured starters on the sidelines, the Raptors were unable to hold onto a late lead and fell 101-99 to Portland on Tuesday.

"I think we played hard enough and well enough to win that game," Toronto coach Nick Nurse told reporters. "We didn't shoot it very well, but we played well enough to win and obviously we were in command of it all the way until the end." Kyle Lowry scored 24 points and handed out 10 assists in the loss for Toronto, which has toiled without Pascal Siakam (groin), Norman Powell (shoulder) and Marc Gasol (hamstring) for 10 games. The Hornets saw a two-game winning streak come to an end with a 115-104 loss to Indiana to begin their two-game homestand Monday night. Terry Rozier scored 28 points and Devonte' Graham added 22 for Charlotte, which dropped its fourth straight at home.

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: Sportsnet, FS Southeast

ABOUT THE RAPTORS (24-13): Serge Ibaka had 17 points and 11 rebounds Tuesday and he is averaging 17.3 points and 9.9 boards in 10 straight starts since Siakam and others went down. Several others have struggled at times to step up in the wake of the injuries, with Patrick McCaw, OG Anunoby, Stanley Johnson and Terence Davis combining to shoot 6-for-26 from the floor against the Trail Blazers. Davis has seen his field-goal percentage drop from 51.9 percent in November to 46.2 percent in December and 30.8 percent in three games in January, prompting Nurse to say of Davis' eight minutes of action Tuesday night: "He's not playing very well. It was probably five too many."


ABOUT THE HORNETS (15-24): Rozier hit all nine of his free throws, handed out six assists and had just one turnover in 40 solid minutes in Monday's loss, continuing his current hot streak. "I am feeling unstoppable, just having that confidence and just playing, man," he told reporters. The 25-year-old is averaging 29 points while shooting 53.7 percent from the floor in three games this month.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Hornets PF Marvin Williams missed Monday's loss due to a broken nose and is questionable for this one.

2. The Raptors have lost three of their last four games that have come on the second half of a back-to-back.

3. Anunoby scored 24 points in 27 minutes to lead Toronto to a 132-96 win - its most lopsided this season - over Charlotte at home Nov. 18.

PREDICTION: Hornets 108, Raptors 106