CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Gordon Hayward scored 24 points, Miles Bridges added 22 and the hot-shooting Charlotte Hornets survived Scottie Barnes’ triple-double to beat the Toronto Raptors 119-116 on Friday night.
Terry Rozier had 21 points and 13 assists and rookie Brandon Miller scored 20 for the Hornets, who shot 55.7% from the field, 52% from beyond the 3-point arc and made 18 of 20 free throws.
Barnes had 31 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for Toronto, but missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have sent the game into overtime. It was the third triple-double of his career and second this season.
Pascal Siakam added 25 points for the Raptors, who trailed by 13 points to start the fourth quarter and rallied to take a five-point lead, only to squander it down the stretch.
Both teams entered the game having lost four of their previous five.
The Hornets led by 20 in the first half and took a 90-77 lead into the fourth quarter. But the Raptors opened the period with an 11-2 run, fueled by their reserves.
Toronto took the lead with seven minutes left when Precious Achiuwa knocked down a 3 and pushed its advantage to five when Barnes hit a runner in the lane, drawing boos from the crowd.
But the Hornets stormed back behind a barrage of 3s — two from Bridges and one each from Rozier and Miller — to give them a one-point lead with 4:23 left, prompting Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic to put his starters back in.
Rozier buried a difficult step-back jumper from the left wing to put Charlotte up by three with 22.2 seconds left before inadvertently fouling Barnes on a 3-point attempt. Barnes missed the first free throw before making the final two.
After Rozier made two free throws with 7.3 seconds left, Barnes’ final 3-point attempt at the buzzer hit the rim and bounced out.
The Hornets came into the game having made 43.9% of their 3-pointers in the previous three games and stayed hot in the first half, making 8 of 13 from beyond the arc to build a 66-54 halftime lead.
Charlotte finished 13 of 25 from beyond the arc.
Toronto’s Otto Porter Jr. left the game in the first half with a left foot contusion.
UP NEXT
Raptors: At New York on Monday night.
Hornets: Host Miami on Monday night.
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