3 Takeaways from Raptors' Blowout Loss to Hornets

The Toronto Raptors were run off the court by the Charlotte Hornets in the first game back from the All-Star break. Here are the biggest takeaways

Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

It was all ugly.

The Toronto Raptors came out sluggish, making bad decisions on both ends, and never recovered in a 125-93 blowout loss to the Charlotte Hornets. Here are the biggest takeaways from a disappointing night.

1. Rusty Return from All-Star Break

Eight days off between games certainly took a toll on Toronto who did not look right Friday night. The offense was sloppy right from the jump with eight first-quarter turnovers. Scottie Barnes threw an ill-advised no-look alley-oop pass to Khem Birch that wasn't close and an early charge from Chris Boucher stuck the Raptors to an early deficit. 

At the other end, the defense was even worse. The rotations were out of sort, giving the Hornets far too many lightly contested three-point attempts or easy transition buckets in the paint. The Hornets scored 97 points through three quarters, looking entirely unstoppable against Toronto's lackluster defensive effort. 

"We didn't get back early. We didn't pick up. We were kind of back and didn't communicate very well. I just thought, geez, the list is long," Nurse said. "I thought the loose balls, you know, some of them were like they were less than 50/50 balls like 70/30 in our favor and we couldn't come up with some of them. Didn't guard and transition, like I mentioned. Turned the ball over a ton right at the start and it's hard to play defense when you're doing that. We just didn’t have a lot of pop or zip or focus tonight."

If the Raptors are forced to open the play-in tournament on the road, it'll be because of no-show nights like Friday's and those losses to the Detroit Pistons and Oklahoma City Thunder.

2. Aggressive Scottie Returns

There wasn't much to get excited about for Toronto, but Barnes did look somewhat reinvigorated coming out of the break. He scored 10 straight Raptors points in the second quarter, getting to the bucket with some savvy cuts for layups at the rim. He then led a bench lineup without Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam at the end of the third quarter and well into the fourth.

He finished the night with a career-high 28 points on 13-for-18 shooting. The career performance was diminished by the blowout score, but Barnes' ability to create without VanVleet or Siakam on the floor with him should bode well for his future, potentially running bench lineups as the lead guard when VanVleet sits.

"I would say the break helped my legs feel rejuvenated, feel good again," Barnes said. "Now it's time to really lock in, get back to work, and keep trying to win games."

3. Fred VanVleet Still Not Fully Healthy

VanVleet had hoped the All-Star break would give him some time off to rest his ailing right knee, but he still isn't back to 100%. He came into the game listed as questionable and looked off most of the night, finishing the night with just eight points on 3-for-12 shooting in 29 minutes played.

Siakam Battling Sickness

Raptors coach Nick Nurse said Siakam fought through some "flu-like symptoms" that hindered him in a disappointing eight-point performance.

Anunoby Getting 2nd Opinion

The Raptors are getting a second opinion on OG Anunoby's fractured right ring finger. He suffered the fracture prior to the All-Star break but it wasn't until Thursday that an X-Ray revealed the extent of the injury. 

"I think it’s been proven that he can probably play through it but I think we need somebody to assure him or us of that to make sure that is the case or maybe someone can heal it fast so we can get back and go from there," Nick Nurse said.

Nurse On Mykhailiuk & Ukraine

Nurse said he'd spoken to Svi Mykhailiuk, Toronto's backup shooting guard and one of two Ukrainian players in the NBA, about the situation in his homeland. Nurse didn't want to go too much into the details of those conversations, but said it's a "very difficult situation."

Up Next: Atlanta Hawks

The Raptors will have a chance to bounce back Saturday night when they take on Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks at 7:30 p.m. ET.