RJ Barrett delivered the decisive basket with 18 seconds remaining, and the Toronto Raptors used two clutch defensive stops from Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes to edge the Charlotte Hornets 110–108 on Monday night, extending Toronto’s torrid run to eight wins in nine games.
Ingram led Toronto with 27 points and punctuated his night with a highlight-reel dunk over rookie center Ryan Kalkbrenner in the fourth quarter. Barrett and Barnes added 16 points apiece, while Immanuel Quickley contributed a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
After Barrett’s go-ahead layup made it 109–108, Ingram preserved the lead by chasing down Kalkbrenner for a crucial block. On Charlotte’s final possession, Barnes secured the victory by stuffing Collin Sexton’s putback attempt at the buzzer.
Jakob Poeltl scored 13 points and Gradey Dick added 10 for Toronto.
Kon Knueppel’s 24 points led Charlotte, while Miles Bridges had 22 and LaMelo Ball finished with 20 in his return from injury. Sexton added 17, and Kalkbrenner grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.
The Hornets struggled from deep, hitting just 10 of 40 three-point attempts, their worst long-range performance of the season. They have now dropped six of their last seven and are 1–6 on the road.
Barnes made franchise history by posting at least one block and one steal in his 10th consecutive game, surpassing Vince Carter’s previous record of nine straight set in 1999.
Up Next
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Hornets: Visit Indiana on Wednesday.
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Raptors: Travel to Philadelphia on Wednesday.
