On February 26, Beijing time, the Hornets played at home against the Raptors from afar, which was the first game between the two teams since All-Star Weekend, but the Hornets were obviously more prepared, and finally the Hornets defeated the Raptors 125-93 and successfully defended the home. Neither team entered the game in the opening session, both of which were in a scoring drought, and the Hornets, who were at home, took the lead in finding offensive form, and the Hornets took a nine-point lead of 28-19 in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Hornets were full of firepower, Rozier, Washington, Harrell led the Hornets to play an offensive climax, the Hornets scored 42 points in a single quarter, and the Raptors also had 28 points in the account, but the score has been completely pulled. The Raptors fell into a slump again in the third quarter, being hit by the Hornets on a 21-0 run, and the Raptors scored only 14 points in the entire third quarter, and the game went into garbage time early.
The Hornets performed perfectly today, with a mixed-use relationship between the players. Of the nine players who played for the Hornets, 6 scored in double figures, and Rozier and substitute Oubre and Harrell scored 20+ points. Harrell's performance today was particularly impressive, with only 23 minutes of playing time, he had 20 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists on 9-of-12 shooting, and only one turnover. Harrell's finishing ability under the basket is as stable as ever, as an interior player who is only two meters tall, Harrell's offensive ability on the inside is stronger than most players, and active scrambling can always create surprises for the team, and is a rare inside fighter. If he can restrain his bad temper a little, it is definitely a rare championship puzzle.
In contrast, the Raptors, Siakam and VanVleet both collapsed, and the two of them shot 6 of 25 in this game, each scoring 8 points, and VanVleet's plus-minus was -40, the lowest in the team. Van Jordan may have been too excited to play in the All-Star and has not yet entered the game state, and in an interview after the All-Star, Van Jordan said that this will not be his last All-Star, hoping that he can use his results to fulfill his promise. Siakam was exposed after a brief highlight, and his shooting percentage was very low against tough interior defenses. He shot 49.5 percent from the field this season, but tonight he shot as low as 23 percent, and perhaps gaining weight is the best way for him to improve, especially in the pairing with Harrell.
Although they have experienced a big loss, the Raptors are not useless, and their rookie Scotty Barnes has 28 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals on 13-of-18 shooting in this game, which is very eye-catching. In the recent All-Star show, Barnes also had an impressive performance. As long as the Raptors are well trained, I believe that Barnes can become the future king of the North.