NBA: Fred VanVleet has 20 points, 20 assists in Raptors’ rout of Hornets
FILE – Fred VanVleet #23 of the Toronto Raptors s dribbles the ball against the Washington Wizards in the first half at Capital One Arena on March 04, 2023 in Washington, DC. Rob Carr/Getty Images/AFP
Pascal Siakam poured in 36 points and the visiting Toronto Raptors had an easy time in a 128-108 victory against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday afternoon.
Fred VanVleet scored 20 points and also set a franchise record with 20 assists, becoming the first player in Raptors’ history to have a 20-point, 20-assist game.
Article continues after this advertisementSiakam shot 16 of 24 from the field and has been the leading scorer for the Raptors in all three games against the Hornets this season.
Fred VanVleet just broke the Raptors' single-game assist record 👀
20 PTS
5 REB
20 AST (career-high, franchise-record)The second undrafted player in NBA history to drop 20 and 20 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ZrO3nUnUey
— NBA (@NBA) April 2, 2023
O.G. Anunoby’s 23 points were also big for the Raptors (39-39), who are closing in on an Eastern Conference play-in tournament slot. Jakob Poeltl added 16 points and Scottie Barnes had 12 as Toronto shot 53.8 percent from the field.
Article continues after this advertisementSvi Mykhailiuk’s 26 points paced the Hornets (26-53), who’ve lost two games in a row following a three-game winning streak. James Bouknight racked up 21 points off the bench, Mark Williams provided 15 points and 12 rebounds, Bryce McGowens added 11 points and Theo Maledon had 14 assists to go with eight points.
The teams meet again Tuesday night, also in Charlotte.
The Hornets have been ravaged by injuries beyond the loss of LaMelo Ball to season-ending surgery. Recent absences have included Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, Kelly Oubre Jr., Dennis Smith Jr. and now P.J. Washington, who exited Friday night’s loss to Chicago with a foot sprain.
All missed Sunday’s game.
As dismal as the game’s outlook seemed for Charlotte in the third quarter, the Hornets pulled within 101-89 by the end of the period, thanks to a 7-2 spurt in the last 48 seconds. The game ended on Toronto’s 12-2 run.
Toronto shot 61.7 percent from the field to hold a 67-52 halftime lead. Charlotte hit 43.8 percent of its shots in the opening half, when it committed nine turnovers that led to 18 Toronto points.
The Raptors had four players with double-figure points by halftime, led by Anunoby’s 16 that included 4-for-5 shooting on 3-point attempts.
