(Toronto) Scottie Barnes had 22 points including 10 in the final quarter on Monday, guiding the Toronto Raptors to a 114-99 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
Barnes also grabbed 17 rebounds, dished out seven assists and had three blocks.
Pascal Siakam scored 27 points for the Raptors (11-15), who have won two of their last three games.
A reserve but employed for 33 minutes, Gary Trent responded with 22 points, including a 4-for-10 mark on three-pointers.
Trent also set a career high with 10 rebounds.
“I just managed to find my rhythm,” said the main person involved. Every match, I try to become as comfortable as possible. I just want to try to contribute to the victory, it doesn’t matter if I play for 20, 25 or 35 minutes. »
Dennis Schroder added 13 points, hitting the target three of five from long range.
Precious Achiuwa had 12 points for Toronto, which outscored 64-52 in points in the bottle.
The Raptors will now prepare to host the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday.
The clash started badly for Darko Rajakovic’s group, with two turnovers in less than a minute and five before midway in the first quarter.
An 11-0 surge by the Hornets gave them an 18-9 lead, leading the Serbian to take a second timeout. After 12 minutes, it was 27-19 Charlotte.
The Raptors started to do better in the second period. They scored the last six points of the period and at halftime, the Frelons’ lead was reduced to four points.
Late in the third quarter, a three-pointer from Trent reduced the opposing cushion to two points and shortly before the end of the quarter, a similar success from Schroder brought the score to 70-69 Hornets.
Achiuwa stood out in the winning effort in the final quarter. Ignoring two missed free throws seconds earlier, he kept the ball from end to end and gave Toronto an 88-85 lead with a short basket.
The turning point came after the Hornets pulled within 97-93 in favor of the Raptors.
Very tenacious under the basket, Barnes forced a faceoff. He won it, which led to a basket-free throw duo for Siakam. Soon after, Barnes made a block and then a dunk, giving his club a 102-93 lead with 4:16 on the clock.
After Trent’s three-pointer made it 112-99 with 1:51 left, the outcome of the game was no longer in doubt.
In the crowd was former Raptors coach Dwane Casey, warmly cheered by the crowd.
He is now part of the senior management of the Detroit Pistons.
Terry Rozier had 22 points for the Hornets, who have lost their last five games.
Their leading scorer LaMelo Ball did not play, injured in his right ankle.
Their fourth pointer Gordon Hayward was also sidelined, dealing with a stomach virus.
Miles Bridges missed the game because he was denied entry to Canada due to legal issues on Monday.
He was listed as “not with the team” in the NBA’s daily injury and absence report.
“Obviously he would have been very useful,” said Nick Richards of the Hornets. He has a strong presence whether it is scoring, grabbing rebounds or playing defense. »
Bridges is serving three years of probation in connection with a June 2022 domestic violence case involving the mother of his two children.
She accused Bridges of assaulting her in front of the children.
He must comply with a 10-year protective order related to the woman, weekly drug and marijuana testing and restitution, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Bridges turned himself in on October 13, after an arrest warrant was issued for an alleged violation of a protection order.
The warrant was issued on January 2 but was not executed until October. According to court documents, Bridges “unlawfully” and “knowingly” violated the protection order and “continually contacted the victim.” This matter is pending.
Bridges was suspended by the NBA for the first 10 games of the season after missing all of last season.
He is third among his team with an average of 19.6 points per game in 14 games.
Canada Border Services Agency spokesperson Rebecca Purdy said the agency does not provide details on individual cases, but that anyone wanting to enter the country must “demonstrate that they meet the requirements “.
“Eligibility is decided on a case-by-case basis and based on information available at the time of entry,” Purdy said, in an email to the AP.
“Several factors will determine whether a person can enter Canada, including involvement in criminal activity, human rights violations, organized crime, security, health or financial reasons. »
