Toronto Raptors vs. Charlotte Hornets Final Score: 123-117 Raptors in Game 4

Despite battling throughout the game, the shots fell when it mattered most

• The author
  
  beccaschaps
  

• on February 7, 2024 at 9:48 p.m

In the last game before the trade deadline, the Toronto Raptors ended their road trip against the Charlotte Hornets with a narrow victory. It's hard to take too much out of a matchup like this, Charlotte has been dealing with their struggles all year, especially considering the 8-game losing streak they entered the game with. As they continued their hot streak since early January, the Raptors had good ball movement and great shooting from Gary Trent Jr. Another encouraging point from this match was the stellar passing of RJ Barrett, who continues to exceed expectations with his performance since arriving over a month ago. Despite the defense and a series of mistakes, the Raptors ended the road race with a victory.

In the first quarter, Charlotte started on offense, starting with a great field goal. The Raptors also had good chances, but a few shots that looked like they were going to fall contributed to the early struggles. After the Hornets jumped out to a quick 12-3 lead, Darko decided to call a timeout to slow their momentum.

The Raptors found their stride, pulled down a few shots, and started a 10-3 run of their own on defense, capped by an impressive buzzer beater by Trent Jr. midway through the quarter. A couple of tough calls that didn't go the Raptors' way, paired with above-average shooting for Charlotte, led to another opportunity for the Hornets to make a run, putting the Raptors back up by double digits once again.

As the frame drew to a close, Toronto seemed to have a bit of a spark, highlighted by Scotty's chase attempt, which was unfortunately just a moment too late, but the momentum started for Toronto.

Grady hit an early three-pointer to start the second game. Both teams battled for the next few possessions, allowing the score to stall. Finally, Thad broke the deadlock with a shot that soared over a defender. Unfortunately, the moment was completely overshadowed by the next play, a driving dunk by Brandon Miller that showed the lack of defensive effort and forced a Raptors timeout, which came with some lineup changes.

Charlotte settled into a zone defense, and Schroeder immediately hit another 3-pointer for the Raps. Another run, along with great defense, helped the Raptors pull within one possession. The entire quarter was filled with great play, and then a couple of mistakes that allowed the Hornets to head to the locker room.

In the third, there was some offensive energy for the Raptors early on, but still struggled to connect. The real problem in the quarter was defense, with Charlotte getting any shot they wanted. A couple of runs by the Hornets allowed them to control a 15-point lead. With each run, Toronto tried to fight back, but defensive lapses prevented them from tying the game.

Most of those failures looked like efforts, almost undeservedly giving up offensive hits and steals. Again, there were signs of life with a string of good plays put together, but the frame was off by 6 late in the quarter.

In the final quarter, Charlotte gave the Raptors a chance to capitalize on the first scorers of the game. They found relatively open spaces, but missed shots and wasted possession prevented them from closing the gap until the Hornets substituted.

Approaching the halfway point, the Raptors began to engage in meaningful ways. A solid defense and an 11-0 run highlighted by long shots from RJ and Gradey eventually gave Toronto the lead. Hope was in the air. Then two easy layups, a turnover and an open 3-pointer gave Charlotte the lead. After the offside foul, Toronto spent the rest of the game in the bonus, putting pressure on the Hornets that they couldn't recover from. A few more strong possessions on both sides closed out the game, allowing the Raptors to end the trip on a high note.

It's tough to be in this stage of the rebuild, and there are obviously still some roster moves that need to be made. With limited practice time in the offseason and a lot of changes in coaching staff and players, it should all be an opportunity to see how the guys fit in, how they play together and what's still missing. In any game, especially a game like this, it's important to focus on the big moments.

RJ Barrett still has a lot to achieve. He was impressive in every way, with his dunks, his 3-point shots and his offensive decision-making, everything was perfect. It's impossible not to see him as a key part of the team moving forward along with Scotty and Quickley. Shooting over 50% from long range is also encouraging as distance has always been a concern.

The next point in the pecking order will be the trade deadline, after which the Raptors will have a chance to return home and repeat multiple times as they play their next five games.

The Raptors will have a chance to take one back from Houston on Friday at 7:30 p.m. on Sportsnet.

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