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Published Nov 29, 2025 • 4 minute read
poeltl raptors
Hornets centre Ryan Kalkbrenner vies for the ball with Raptors' Jakob Poeltl during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. Photo by Chris Carlson /AP Photo
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The host Charlotte Hornets emerged as buzzkill Saturday night, knowing the Raptors were as hot as any team in the NBA, having won nine in a row and 13 of their past 14 heading into its matchup at the Spectrum Center.
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The Hornets aren’t all that good, but in two meetings against the Raptors played within a two-week span they did present some major matchup challenges.
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A hero one game, Brandon Ingram wore the goat horns in this one as Charlotte produced a highly entertaining and gutsy 118-111 overtime win.
Too many turnovers, too little from the bench and too long of a cold stretch in the fourth quarter didn’t help Toronto’s cause.
Charlotte didn’t take its first lead until overtime, overcoming a huge deficit, and were well deserving of their win, just their sixth in 20 games.
The following are three takeaways on a night the Raptors could have been guilty of looking ahead to Sunday’s game in Gotham against the Knicks, knowing that matchup will serve as a preview of the NBA Cup quarterfinals.
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Barnes-burner
After converting on all 14 of his trips to the foul line in Wednesday’s win, Scottie Barnes didn’t attempt his first free throw until the two-minute mark in the third quarter in Charlotte.
Granted, the officials allowed both teams to get away with some added pressure defensively. In other words, you can’t blame the refs.
Still, the anti-ref sentiment could be heard in the background, as if a bad team such as Charlotte would get the benefit of the doubt.
Once again, Barnes was a presence on both ends of the floor, hauling down rebounds and playing an efficient offensive game. He finished with 30 points and 12 boards.
When Barnes operated from the block, the Hornets had a tough time keeping him off his spot.
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B.I.’s mixed homecoming
Ingram grew up about four hours east of Charlotte and decided to stay in-state when he completed his one-and-done season at Duke.
Much like the Raptors, Ingram had been on a roll. Eight minutes into the game, he had as many points (10) as the entire Hornets team. During that same stretch, the Raptors missed only three shots, while Charlotte made only three.
A noted bucket-getter, Ingram has shown some ability to defend. But make no mistake, he’ll never be known as a defensive stopper.
His offence, however is never forced, executing a step-through and then pulling up from the foul line to score four successive points to give him 14 in 15 minutes.
However, Ingram was a non-factor in the final quarter and overtime. He failed to sink any of his shot attempts — including a jumper at the regulation-time buzzer that would have won it — finishing with 22 points on just 10-for-26 shooting.
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He also provided little, if any, resistance when rookie Kon Knueppel buried a corner three to tie the game with 10.1 ticks on the clock.
Dick delivers, sort of
Gradey Dick’s season has been mainly underwhelming, not sure when shots would be presented, unaware how many minutes will be doled out.
At least he hasn’t lost his compete level. It helps to remain engaged when you’re on a team that’s been rolling.
At his best, Dick is drilling three-pointers, chasing down misses and playing with offensive freedom that allows the third-year wing to take his man off the dribble.
An encouraging sign emerged in the first quarter, 12 minutes when the Raptors imposed their will right from the opening tap and led by as many as 17 points.
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In Wednesday’s home win over Indiana, Dick was limited to seven minutes after he fell hard to the floor. No lingering effects were noticeable against the Hornets, who were playing the back end of a back-to-back.
On one strong move to the hole, Dick finished by using his left hand. He wound up with five points.
With RJ Barrett (knee) sidelined, there’s an internal competition among Dick and the likes of Ja’Kobe Walter, who started Saturday, and Collin Murray-Boyles.
Compared to Walter and CMB, Dick is a seasoned veteran. He has to play like one, as does Ochai Agbaji, who is also in the mix for minutes with Barrett sidelined.
Overall, Toronto’s bench was not productive and was outplayed by Charlotte’s second unit.
Up next
Sunday’s 6 p.m. tip at a venue considered the Mecca of hoops will have a different layer now that the Raptors and Knicks will hook up in the NBA Cup quarterfinal on Dec. 9 (8:30 p.m.) in Toronto with a trip to Las Vegas at stake … New York is 9-1 on its home floor, its lone loss coming against Orlando, which will play host to Miami in the other Eastern quarterfinal.
fzicarelli@postmedia.com
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