The Charlotte Hornets entered Monday night’s road matchup against the Toronto Raptors looking to halt a slide that had seen them drop five of their previous six games. Head coach Charles Lee emphasized the urgency of getting back in the win column, as the Hornets began the night 4-9 and 2½ games out of the final Play-In Tournament spot in the Eastern Conference.
Instead, Charlotte suffered another crushing defeat, falling 110-108 and dropping to 4-10 on the season. The game came down to the final possession. With 18.4 seconds remaining, Toronto guard RJ Barrett drove to the rim for a go-ahead layup, giving the Raptors a two-point lead. Charlotte had multiple opportunities to tie or retake the lead, but their final sequence unraveled. Ryan Kalkbrenner had a dunk attempt blocked, Miles Bridges missed a mid-range jumper, and after the Hornets secured an offensive rebound, Collin Sexton was blocked on a drive to the basket. Time expired before Charlotte could attempt another shot.
Despite the loss, the Hornets continued receiving strong production from rookie Kon Knueppel. Coming off a career-high 32 points on Saturday, Knueppel followed with another standout performance, recording 24 points on 9-for-16 shooting to go along with seven rebounds and three steals.
LaMelo Ball added 20 points and eight assists but shot just 6-for-19 from the field. Sexton led Charlotte’s bench with 17 points.
Now riding another losing streak, the focus shifts to how this young Hornets team will respond. Their next matchup appears favorable on paper: a road meeting with the Indiana Pacers, who have stumbled to a 1-13 record despite last season’s unexpected run to the NBA Finals.
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