RJ Barrett leads the way in Toronto Raptors victory over Charlotte Hornets

7 players scored in double figures for the team up north, and RJ Barrett led the way. His performance helped the Toronto Raptors defeat the Charlotte Hornets 123-117 at Spectrum Center.

Scottie Barnes has been playing unbelievable this season, and yesterday he’s been selected as injury replacement an All-Star reserve. The 2021-22 Rookie of the Year is averaging 20.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 5.8 assists. After the Raptors traded away Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, it’s clear that this is the 22-year-old’s team.

RJ Barrett led the team in points tonight with 23 to go along with his 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Scottie Barnes had 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists while Immanuel Quickley finished with 18 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists. Jakob Poeltl recorded a 12-point, 12 rebound double-double on 71% shooting.

For the Hornets, Miles Bridges exploded for the second night in a row. After scoring a career-high 41 points last game, he topped that tonight with 45 points to go along with 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Brandon Miller finished with 20 points while Cody Martin had 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists.

This win improves the Raptors to 18-33, which makes them 12th in the Eastern Conference. Toronto is now 2.5 games behind the 11th seeded Brooklyn Nets and 2-8 over their last 10 games. Their next game will be on Friday night against the Houston Rockets.

Meanwhile, this loss drops the Hornets to 10-40, which makes them 13th in the Eastern Conference. It will be interesting to see if Charlotte makes any moves in the next 24 hours with the trade deadline coming up. They are 1-9 over their last 10 games and currently on a 9-game losing streak. Their next game will be on Friday night against the Milwaukee Bucks.