What: Charlotte Hornets (26-53) vs Toronto Raptors (39-39)
When: 7:00pm EDT
Where: Spectrum Center; Charlotte, NC
How to watch: Bally Sports Southeast, NBA League Pass
Outfitting: Hornets–Icon (teal); Raptors–Statement (black)
Injury Report
Charlotte:
Toronto:
- Will Barton – probable (ankle)
- OG Anunoby – questionable (ankle)
- Gary Trent Jr. – questionable (ankle)
- Precious Achiuwa – questionable (illness)
Preview
So nice we’re doing it twice. As you probably know, these two teams played each other way back on Sunday afternoon. The Raptors won that game handily despite the Hornets setting a career high in career highs for one game. The most likely outcome is that this game follows the same script as that one.
With Mark Williams likely out, the Hornets are missing all of their preferred starting five and several of the players they would prefer to fill in where needed. We’ll probably get the same starting five as Sunday, though Dennis Smith might be able to give it a go at the point. Theo Maledon played 41 minutes in his absence last time out, so he’ll probably appreciate the rest.
The Raptors clinched a play-in spot with their win in the last meeting. They’re locked into the play-in tournament, but they have a lot to play for given the big advantage it is to finish 7th or 8th as opposed to 9th or 10th. They played their key players heavy minutes on Sunday despite the relatively comfortable win, and I wouldn’t expect anything different tonight.
