Toronto Raptors forward Chris Boucher hit two free throws with 3.4 seconds left and Charlotte Hornet Terry Rozier missed a 3-pointer with under a second left, as the Raptors edged the Hornets, 116-113, Saturday in Tampa, Fla.
The Raptors made 21 3-pointers Saturday, two nights after making 20 against the Hornets in the first of this two-game set.
Gordon Hayward, back from a hip injury, finished with 25 points and five rebounds for the Hornets. Norman Powell led the way with 24 points off the bench for the Raptors and Boucher added 20.
Down two with under a minute left, the Hornets committed a shot-clock violation with 14 seconds left and the ball just leaving Devonte Graham’s hands, but not getting to the rim.
Forced to foul, Rozier took one on Toronto’s Fred VanVleet, who made both free throws. Graham responded with a 3-pointer to cut the Raptors’ lead to one with seven seconds left.
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The Hornets held Hayward out of Thursday’s game against the Raptors, after he suffered a left hip strain in the second half of the loss to the Dallas Mavericks Wednesday.
They listed Hayward as questionable Saturday, upgraded him to probable pre-game, then started him with no minutes limitations. That was a bit bold, considering the Hornets don’t play again until Wednesday at home against the Washington Wizards, so he could have had a long stretch to heal.
Obviously, he was effective with that first half of 21 points.
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Hornets coaches use a familiar NBA expression — “hunting hands” — as in urging ballhandlers to search for contact on the way to the rim to create free throws.
Hayward was great at that, creating eight first-half free throws, and making them all on way to 21 points by halftime.
This was Hayward’s fourth half of 20 or more points this season, which matches the most halves of 20 or more in his NBA career.
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The Raptors made 20 3s Thursday, which closed in on an opponent record for the Hornets. So they’d been warned, but that didn’t make much difference defensively in the first half.
Toronto made 13 3s, on 26 attempts, in the first half. VanVleet and Powell hit three each.
Some of that was an outgrowth of the dribble penetration the Hornets gave up, forcing teammates to help in the paint. That’s what gave the Philadelphia 76ers’ spot-up shooters so open when the Sixers swept two from the Hornets recently.
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Rozier beat the halftime buzzer with a shot from roughly 40 feet to cut Charlotte’s deficit to two at halftime.
Rozier had an efficient first half, making 4 of 6 from 3, scoring 14 points and adding five rebounds.
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With Hayward back starting, Caleb Martin moved back to the second unit. However, Malik Monk’s 10-point performance Thursday — his 23 minutes were the longest he’s played this season — got him into Saturday’s game in the second quarter. Monk made a bad turnover, throwing a pass near mid-court that was picked off for a Toronto transition basket.
Monk getting four minutes in the first half meant Cody Martin didn’t play before halftime.
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