Charlotte Hornets at Toronto Raptors Game Preview
Injury Report
Hornets: OUT Kelly Oubre Jr (hand), Gordon Hayward (hamstring/shoulder)
Raptors: OUT Otto Porter Jr (toe)
Game Preview
The NBA had a really good idea a few seasons ago when they decided to start having more teams play back-to-back regular season games in the same city with a day off in between. It helps cut down the number of games on back-to-back nights for players and limits the amount of travel these teams are having to endure during a long season. Another positive benefit would be that it creates a mini-playoff series between the two teams as it allows more time for advanced scouting and game planning designed specifically for that opponent. It's always very interesting to see the adjustments each coach will make going into the second game.
Both teams were ridiculously hot from three-point range in Tuesday's game, the Hornets converted at a 43% clip on 35 attempts while the Raptors converted 46% on 44 shots. Each coach is going to need to have adjustments ready to limit the damage from behind the arc, but some natural regression to the mean should be expected on both sides.
The key area the Hornets need to figure out if they are going to even the series with the Raptors is rebounding. Toronto doesn't have a true big in the traditional sense that will dominate the paint and control the boards. However, they do have size and length at almost every position on the court that we saw gave Charlotte some trouble on the boards Tuesday night. The Hornets were outrebounded by 15 and gave up an amazing 18 offensive rebounds to Toronto while only gathering six themselves. The second-chance points will have to be more even in this game if the Hornets want to give themselves a real chance to win. Steve Clifford was not happy about the rebounding effort on Tuesday so expect more focus on that area.
Key Matchup: Terry Rozier vs Gary Trent Jr.
Terry Rozier had one of his best games of the season on Tuesday night, scoring 33 points to help lead the Hornets. He knocked down five of his nine three-pointers and cashed in on 14 of 19 attempts in total. He also chipped in 5 assists while committing just one turnover. Unfortunately for Charlotte his counterpart, Gary Trent Jr, had a pretty stellar game as well. Trent had 24 points while shooting 40% from three in the Raptors' victory. Both of these players contributed heavily to the unreal shooting performance each team put out from distance.
When Rozier starts to get it going offensively, it can be almost impossible to slow him down. If what we saw on Tuesday was the beginning of Rozier finding his rhythm, the Hornets can really get something going offensively. His movement shooting has been his greatest skill to add to Charlotte's offense, and that can attract so much defensive attention from their opponents. The other four Hornets on the court should have much more space to operate in if Rozier is attracting so much focus from the Raptors.
Whichever guard can keep it going Thursday night will play a critical role in getting a win for their team.
| Position | Charlotte | Toronto |
|---|---|---|
Point Guard | LaMelo Ball | Fred VanVleet |
Shooting Guard | Terry Rozier | Gary Trent Jr |
Small Forward | Jalen McDaniels | OG Anunoby |
Power Forward | PJ Washington | Scottie Barnes |
Center | Mason Plumlee | Pascal Siakam |
You can follow us for future coverage by liking us on Facebook & following us on Twitter:
Facebook - All Hornets
Twitter - @All_Hornets and Jon Yeager at @jonyeagerr.
