Replace Durant
Kevin Durant was unable to play in the All-Star due to injury, and the Hornets' new owner, Ramello Ball, came to the All-Star stage in place of Durant without suspense. This is the first All-Star trip of the three-goal career, and with the blessing of this glory, I believe Ball will be able to play a better performance and lead the Hornets to continue to move forward. In this game, the Hornets have to face the Toronto Raptors, a wave of five consecutive wins, they have come to the sixth position in the East, the state can be imagined.
For comparison, the Hornets have recently suffered four consecutive losses and have fallen to the ninth place in the East, but they are only 1.5 wins away from the Raptors, that is, as long as they win this game, the Hornets can narrow the gap to 0.5 wins and continue to retain the hope of the playoffs, so the importance of this game for the Hornets can be imagined.
The Raptors are threatening at the end of the season
However, the Raptors' recent state is really hot, VanVleet came up in the first quarter, three-point shooting 3 of 3, got 9 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 steal, Trent bombed 11 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist, Siakam also had 7 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists, with the excellent play of the three cores, the Raptors blasted 35 points in the first quarter, while the Hornets only scored 21 points, of which Ball got 6 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 2 steals. After returning from the second quarter, the Raptors began to feel less, and although Siakam had another 7 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, the team only scored 21 points.
Unfortunately, the Hornets did not seize the opportunity, Ball only had 4 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists on 2-of-9 shooting, and although Oubre bombed 8 points and 2 rebounds, the Hornets still trailed the Raptors by 15 points at the end of the half. In the second half, the Hornets rose to chase, and the opening game played a wave of 9-1 small climax, narrowing the point difference to single digits, but then the Raptors adjusted their state, Trent took 11 more points in a single quarter to help the team stabilize the situation, although Rozier had 13 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists on 5-of-7 shooting in the quarter, but at the end of the third quarter, the Hornets still trailed by 5 points.
In the final quarter that determined the outcome of the game, the Raptors' forward advantage began to manifest, Anunoby had 10 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals, Siakam had 7 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist on 3-of-3 shooting, Barnes also had 7 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist, VanVleet hit 2 three-pointers, and the Raptors blasted 36 points in a single quarter, and finally won 116-101 against the Charlotte Hornets, winning 6 consecutive wins while giving the Hornets 5 consecutive losses.
On 5-of-19 shooting, there were seven turnovers
Toronto Raptors once again showed their strength, the whole team four scored 20+, VanVleet got 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, hit 6 three-pointers, Trent was 24 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, Siakam also had 24 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists, I have to say that he was not selected as an All-Star, it is indeed a pity. Anunoby had 20 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals, while rookie Barnes had 15 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists and only 9 shots. The team grabbed 51 rebounds, 13 more than the Hornets.
As the team's home star, Lamelo Ball, who replaced Durant in the All-Star, did not perform well in this game, shooting 5-of-19, 6-of-1 three-pointers, only 15 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 steals, as well as 7 turnovers and 5 fouls. It has to be said that if the Hornets want to stop the losing streak, Ball must come up with a better performance. Bridges had 25 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks, Rozier 20 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists, Oubre 17 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists, Washington 15 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists, hayward only played 6 minutes before exiting the field with an ankle injury.