Charlotte Hornets vs. Toronto Raptors: Friday’s preview
Hornets vs. Raptors
7 p.m., Time Warner Cable Arena
TV: SportSouth. Radio: WFNZ-AM 610.
Projected Starters
Hornets | Raptors | |||||
Pos, Player | PPG | RPG | Pos, Player | PPG | RPG | |
G, M. Williams | 21.6 | 2.5 | G, G. Vasquez | 9.5 | 2.6 | |
G, G. Henderson | 11.1 | 3.1 | G, D. DeRozan | 18.3 | 4.4 | |
F, M. Kidd-Gilchrist | 10.8 | 7.5 | F, J. Johnson | 8.4 | 4.0 | |
F, C. Zeller | 7.6 | 5.8 | F, A. Johnson | 9.5 | 5.8 | |
C, A. Jefferson | 17.1 | 8.8 | C, J. Valanciunas | 11.9 | 8.7 | |
Matchup to Watch
DeMar DeRozan vs. Gerald Henderson: DeRozan is a borderline All-Star shooting guard who can match Henderson in terms of physicality.
Observations
▪ The Hornets’ Jan. 8 victory at Toronto was as impressive as any this season. Henderson had 31 points in that game.
▪ The Hornets are on a three-game winning streak. This is their third game in four nights.
Tap-ins
▪ The Raptors have been resting point guard Kyle Lowry of late as he tries to overcome a nagging hand injury.
▪ Hornets coach Steve Clifford said his rotation policy the rest of the season is “sub-to-win,” as in it will shift from game to game and situation to situation.
Did you know?
The Hornets have won six games in a row over the Raptors, but they have played only once since Jan. 2014. They have three meetings in March and April.
Rick Bonnell
This story was originally published March 5, 2015 at 7:36 PM with the headline "Charlotte Hornets vs. Toronto Raptors: Friday’s preview."