The Charlotte Hornets entered Friday night’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors sitting in 12th place in the Eastern Conference, looking to get closer to a NBA Play-In Tournament position.
After a close first quarter, Charlotte dominated the second, outscoring the Raptors 35-18. From there they didn’t look back, outscoring Toronto 33-16 in the fourth quarter to secure a 25-point victory.
Charlotte allowed only 86 points, the lowest total by any opponent this season. Despite their place in the standings, Charlotte has now defeated Toronto twice on the year, and in doing so, earned their second road win of the year.
In the victory, second-year player Tidjane Salaun added a career-high 21 points off the bench including 5-for-6 shooting from deep, providing Charlotte fans with a glimpse of optimism surrounding his development. This performance was much needed for Salaun, who had been sent to the G-League earlier in the season following a stretch of poor play.
Having been taken in the 2024 NBA Draft as the No. 6 overall selection, Charlotte had high expectations for Salaun. Thus far, his career has gotten off to a slow start, averaging 5.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
After the game, Salaun cited confidence as the reason for his success. “It’s just about confidence. When I’m confident, I feel like I can be the best player, but that’s also because my teammates trust me and we have this great spirit/energy with each other.”
Salaun and the Hornets will look to ride their momentum heading into their next game against the Denver Nuggets.
More NBA news:
