CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ The Charlotte Hornets were tired of all the questions about never beating one of the NBA Eastern Conference's best teams.
Friday, the Hornets provided an emphatic response, building a 30-point lead midway through the fourth quarter to beat the Toronto Raptors 113-78 at Spectrum Center.
Hornets point guard Kemba Walker led the way with 32 points and eight assists. For much of this game, Walker personally had more assists than all the Raptors combined. Toronto finished with 10 assists.
Prior to Friday, the Hornets (22-21) had a 0-7 record against the East's top three teams, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Raptors and Boston Celtics.
Six Hornets reached double-figure scoring, with forward Frank Kaminsky coming off the bench for 16 points. The Raptors (28-15) got 24 points from Kyle Lowry and 23 from DeMar DeRozan.