Toronto Raptors vs Charlotte Hornets Prediction: Flailing Hornets meet underwhelming Raptors

NBA is on and the midseason window has been hit as we are exploring what rumors regarding trades will spring up. We will see a lot of players' movement and the standings picture is going to shift drastically too. However, for some teams, the season seems to have collapsed completely. One of those squads, the Charlotte Hornets is going to take on the Toronto Raptors.

The Raptors and the Hornets meet for the second time in three days and during their last meeting, the Raptors won 132:120 as Pascal Siakam rolled in 28 points and 8 rebounds. The Hornets received a 33 points performance from Terry Rozier whereas LaMelo Ball dished 14 assists. Three players scored 20+ for the Raptors which hasn’t been the case for the season. The Hornets came within two points for the last quarter but the Raptors went on a late run.

The Raptors have two in a row and now have 23 losses and 19 wins, which is a slim return, and perhaps the time for the current core has run out. The Hornets have been abysmal this season and their 31 losses and 11 wins say it all. LaMelo Ball missed time early in the season but things haven’t really changed despite his return. Both these teams can be active during the trade deadline but for this season, their chances of making a deep run are dwindling as of now.

The Hornets’ defense has been ineffective even against average offensive squads and their lack of discipline on that end has haunted their season. The Raptors are not by clinical by any means but have at least kept the losses close rather than getting blown out. Due to this factor and because they have the home-court advantage, I lean towards a Hornets win and predict a scoreline of 127:117 in their favor.