**What:** Charlotte Hornets (13-23) (7-10 home) vs Toronto Raptors (22-15) (10-7 away)
**When:** 7:00pm Eastern
**Where:** Spectrum Center; Charlotte, NC
**How to watch:** FanDuel Sports Network, NBA League Pass
**Outfitting:** Hornets–Association (white), Raptors–Icon (red)
**Game Lines:** Hornets +2.5, Hornets money line +114, O/U 229.5
**Injuries:**
Hornets: Brandon Miller-probable (knee), Moussa Diabate-probable (wrist), Tidjane Salaün-questionable (ankle), Ryan Kalkbrenner-out (elbow), Mason Plumlee-out (groin), Grant Williams-out (knee)
Raptors: Jakob Poeltl-out (back), Mo Bamba-out (Raptors ducking contract guarantee)
The Hornets will be greeted by a hero’s welcome upon returning to Spectrum Center after [thoroughly dismantling the Thunder](https://atthehive.com/2026/01/06/recap-analysis-the-hornets-defeat-the-thunder/) in Oklahoma City. That game could ultimately be a random blip in a noisy NBA season, or it could be a jumping off point for a Hornets team that’s been hinting at playing good basketball for a few weeks now. The defensive effort was tremendous, and it showed what this team is capable of when they’re fully focused and committed on that end of the floor. The offensive talent is there to put up enough points when the defense is holding up. You have to hope that it was so fun throttling the Thunder like that that the team will try to do that more often.
The first chance to do that is against a Raptors team that the Hornets have already given trouble to. In the first meeting, the Raptors narrowly escaped with a win after benefitting from a few fortuitous bounces and last second blocked shots. The Hornets took the second two, including a convincing 25 point win about a month ago.
The Raptors come into tonight in a pretty good run of form, which was the case the last time the Hornets beat them and sent them into a mini-spiral. They just completed a two game sweep of the Hawks and have won four of their last five. We know who they are at this point. Brandon Ingram and RJ Barrett are known for their scoring while Scottie Barnes does a lot of everything, including scoring! Immanuel Quickley always seems to be a thorn in the Hornets’ side, and Sandro Mamukelashvili is a little scary with his brute size and outside shooting ability.
If the Hornets want to make a push for a play-in spot, these two home games are an important starting point. After tonight’s game and tomorrow night’s game against the Pacers, the Hornets play eight of their next 11 on the road, including seven against the Western Conference.
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