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Toronto Raptors
Raptors led most of the way but treated fans to an epic ending as winning ways continue.
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Published Nov 17, 2025 • 4 minute read
Toronto Raptors forward/guard Scottie Barnes drives past Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabaté and guard Pat Connaughton on Monday night. Nathan Dennette/THE CANADIAN PRESS
Toronto Raptors forward/guard Scottie Barnes drives past Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabaté and guard Pat Connaughton on Monday night. Nathan Dennette/THE CANADIAN PRESS
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The Toronto Raptors made a quick stop-in Monday night to say hello to their fans, aiming to remind them they’re one of the NBA’s pleasant early surprises.
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They didn’t fully succeed for much of the night, allowing the visiting Charlotte Hornets to hang around, but saved the best for last in a thrilling 110-108 victory. Toronto won its fourth game in a row thanks to a game-saving block party and has now taken 8-of-9.
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Here are our takeaways:
HOW IT ENDED
Toronto led nearly the entire game, trailing only four separate times and never by more than two points, but the Hornets seemed poised to steal one thanks to great play from dynamic rookie Kon Knueppel.
After Brandon Ingram held the ball a bit too much down the stretch, forcing the offence slightly, the team recalibrated. Collin Sexton’s three-pointer after an Immanuel Quickley miss made it 104-103 for the Raptors and Miles Bridges hit a three-pointer to give Charlotte the lead, but Barnes dunked on Bridges to tie the game, and setting up a wild finish.
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Th Raptors forced a turnover and got the ball to Ingram, who was double-teamed, but fournd a cutting RJ BArrett for a layup. Ingram then blocked a dunk attempt from 7-foot-1 Ryan Kalkbrenner with 7.5 seconds on the clock.
Bridges missed a fadeaway jump shot when Charlotte got the ball back, Barnes blocked a Collin Sexton layup attempt at the buzzer and that was it.
Ingram finished with 27 points and three blocks, Barnes had 16, along with six rebounds, six assists and two blocks and Barrett also had 16.
MAMU MAGIC
As noted here previously, the Raptors have an ugly record when it comes to signing quality free agents. In 31 years, precious few have exceeded expectations or made a big impact in Toronto. Two of the best were in the house Monday though, Hornets television analyst Dell Curry, who was Toronto’s first big free agent signing, adding a needed three-point gunner to the Vince Carter-led playoff teams, while this year, big man Sandro Mamukelashvili has been excellent after being signed away from San Antonio.
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Mamukelashvili has been strong off the bench either with fellow reserves, or alongside Toronto starters like Barnes, who has thrived with him on the court.
Head coach Darko Rajakovic has quickly taken to Mamukelashvili.
“He’s just a good basketball player, simple as that,” Rajakovic said before the game.
“He’s really embracing the culture. He really likes the team and guys over here, he’s really trying to learn how to fit in the way we want to play on offence and defence. And offensively, he’s the guy who (is) helping us to gel,” he said.
“He’s a great ball mover, very, very unselfish player. So all of those things, players like to be with him on the floor, and he’s doing a great job defensively as well, is that one-through-five switching and staying in front of the ball, and he’s continuing to improve his rebounding.”
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Mamukelashvili had hit 44.8% of his three-point attempts before Monday, providing a much-needed floor spacer.
OUR TOP RAPTORS FREE AGENT SIGNINGS
1 Fred VanVleet (undrafted free agent)
2 Jose Calderon (still a fan favourite)
3 Curry (came up big in multiple playoff appearances)
4 Anthony Parker (brought back from overseas to be a solid starter)
5 Chris Boucher (one of Toronto’s best reserves ever)
6 Bismack Biyombo (one great year earned him big payday elsewhere)
7 Mamukelashvili (could move up)
8 Tracy Murray (also got paid somewhere else, but was an early standout)
9 Jamario Moon (solid, if unspectacular)
10 DeMarre Carroll (rough ending, but had his moments)
It’s hard to say if Hakeem Olajuwon (technically a sign and trade) or Hedo Turkoglu were bigger flop signings.
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HORNETS FINALLY ON RIGHT TRACK?
The Hornets were a model franchise in the 1990s not long after joining the NBA as an expansion team, but things have been pretty dire since then. The less we say about the Bobcats years the better, but as a whole Charlotte has missed the playoffs nine straight seasons and hasn’t won a round since 2002. Which is why their fans have to be thrilled with the 2025 NBA draft, finally there’s some hope in the basketball hotbed of North Carolina.
The fourth overall selection, Kon Knueppel, a local product out of Duke, was excellent on Monday with 24 points and leads all rookies in scoring at more than 17 a game and has shot over 40% from three and 87.5% at the free throw line. He looks like a future all-star. The 29th pick Liam McNeely hasn’t shown much yet, but two players taken one pick apart in the second round, centre Kalkbrenner and wing Sion James (who played with Knueppel for the Blue Devils) has started his career 20-for-41 from three. Kalkbrenner was averaging 2.3 blocks per game as the team’s starter and an unreal 81.8% from the field (54-for-66).
The Hornets need to find a way to keep star point guard Ball on the court. He’s signed for big money for three more years after this one, but played 47 games last season, 22 the one prior, and 36 before that.
Ball had averaged 8.6 assists in five career games at Toronto, good for eighth-most since Toronto’s 1995 debut.
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