FILE – LaMelo Ball #2 of the Charlotte Hornets dribbles during the third quarter of their game against the Toronto Raptors at Spectrum Center on December 14, 2020 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images/AFP
LaMelo Ball scored a game-high 23 points and helped the Charlotte Hornets set multiple franchise records for 3-pointers in a 114-104 victory over the visiting Toronto Raptors on Saturday night.
Ball shot 6-of-9 from 3-point range and added nine rebounds and six assists.
LaMelo (@MELOD1P) leads @hornets to victory!
🐝 23 PTS
🐝 9 REB
🐝 6 AST
🐝 6-9 3PM pic.twitter.com/aBBMFgPGVk— NBA (@NBA) March 14, 2021
The Hornets, who shot 21-for-49 from 3-point range, scored 31 of the game’s first 40 points and hit nine 3-pointers over the game’s first seven minutes and 45 seconds.
Charlotte set franchise records for most 3-pointers in a half (16) and in a first quarter (11).
The Hornets picked up their first wire-to-wire victory of the season and beat the Raptors for the first time in three meetings. It was the Hornets’ fourth win in their past five games, evening their record to .500 (18-18) for the first time in two months.
Toronto dropped its sixth game in its past seven and was again missing Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Malachi Flynn and Patrick McCaw due to the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols.
Kyle Lowry led the Raptors with 19 points, eight assists and six rebounds while Chris Boucher totaled 16 points. Norman Powell had 13 points and Paul Watson 12. DeAndre’ Bembry scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds.
Terry Rozier continued his string of solid performances, finishing with 17 points, but suffered a left leg bruise and exited the game with 4:58 left in the third quarter. Rozier, who had his lower left leg wrapped on the sideline, was available to return, according to the Hornets’ broadcast, but did not with the team comfortably ahead.
Rozier averaged 23.6 points on 52.4 percent shooting — including 44.9 percent from 3-point range — over his previous 13 games.
Devonte’ Graham played in his second consecutive game after returning from a month-long absence due to a knee injury and finished with 17 points and four assists. He hit 5-of-9 triples in 17 minutes. Malik Monk scored 16 points off the Hornets’ bench.
PJ Washington had 11 points and six rebounds. Cody Zeller had 10 points and seven rebounds while Gordon Hayward had nine points, seven rebounds and five assists.