Toronto Raptors thump Charlotte Hornets in most every way

So much for a season-saving homestand.

The Charlotte Hornets are in a span of six home games in seven total. They are relatively healthy, and this was supposed to be their best opportunity to get back in the race for an Eastern Conference playoff berth.

They have now lost three of the first four of those home games, losing to the Toronto Raptors 129-111 Wednesday at Spectrum Center. The Hornets are 11-20, and any good vibes from Monday’s 18-point victory over the New York Knicks evaporated quickly.

The Hornets trailed by 16 at halftime, and the deficit was 20 or more for most of the second half.

Hornets reserve Jeremy Lamb scored a career-high 32 points, making 11 of 17 shots from the field. Lamb’s previous career-high was 27 points, scored this season against the San Antonio Spurs.

Raptors All-Star DeMar DeRozan finished with 28 points and eight rebounds. Serge Ibaka added 24 points and five rebounds.

Three who mattered

Ibaka: He looked about 10 years younger than he is on a couple of first-half dunks.

Lamb: Too bad such a fine performance came in a game where the Hornets were so outclassed.

DeRozan: Three-point shooting isn’t his specialty, but he made three of his first four.

Observations

▪  Power forward Marvin Williams had to leave the game in the first quarter, but it turned out to be just a need for a retape of one of his ankles.

▪  Nic Batum has played well of late, but Wednesday was a setback: Zero points, two rebounds and five assists. Batum only took one shot and never got to the foul line in 25 minutes.

▪  Kemba Walker made his first 3-point attempt in three games in the first half. He said at practice Tuesday that his left wrist strain wasn’t a factor in those misses, but it’s hard not to think otherwise.

▪  Lamb hit eight of his first nine shots from the field. Interestingly, only one of those attempts was from 3-point range.

▪  The Raptors aren’t known for their 3-point shooting, but they sure were productive outside the arc first half: Eight-of-13 attempts.

Worth mentioning

▪  The Hornets again played without Treveon Graham, still laid up with back spasms.

▪  Hornets forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist suffered a right shoulder strain, but it did not appear to be a serious injury.

▪  Rookie Malik Monk entered the game with about two minutes left in the third quarter, with the Hornets down 21. Monk played only 25 minutes over the previous five games.

Report card

B- OFFENSE: They got to the foul line plenty, but still not enough to keep up with Toronto.

F DEFENSE: The Raptors had so many assists and made so many 3-pointers, it was like they were out there by themselves.

C COACHING: Frankly, this game got out of hand quickly enough that coaching wasn’t much of a factor in the outcome.

This story was originally published December 20, 2017 at 9:27 PM with the headline "Toronto Raptors thump Charlotte Hornets in most every way."