Barrett scores tiebreaking basket as Raptors beat Hornets 110-108
In a finish that had Raptors fans at Scotiabank Arena riding an emotional rollercoaster from pure ecstasy to sheer panic and back again, Toronto pulled off a heart-stopping 110-108 victory over the Charlotte Hornets, cementing their status as the league's hottest team not named the Celtics. The final 18 seconds were an absolute masterclass in clutch chaos.With the score knotted at 108-108, it was hometown kid RJ Barrett, the Mississauga native whose return to Toronto felt like a storybook plotline from day one, who coolly sank the go-ahead basket, sending a jolt of electricity through the building. But the drama was far from over.On the ensuing possession, Brandon Ingram, who dropped a team-high 27 points, decided the highlight reel wasn't complete without his signature, chasing down Hornets rookie center Ryan Kalkbrenner for a spectacular, LeBron-esque block from behind that preserved the slim lead. Then, with the clock draining to zeroes, Scottie Barnes—the franchise cornerstone himself—rose to the occasion, emphatically swatting Collin Sexton's desperate putback attempt at the buzzer, a defensive exclamation point that sent the bench into a frenzy and sealed the team's eighth win in nine games.This wasn't just another regular-season W; it was a statement. The Raptors, often overlooked in the Eastern Conference chatter, are now on a four-game winning streak, playing with a chemistry and defensive tenacity that should have the rest of the league on notice.Beyond the box score, where Immanuel Quickley's double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds provided crucial support, Barnes made some quiet history, setting a new Raptors franchise record by recording a steal and a block in his tenth consecutive game, surpassing a mark set by the iconic Vince Carter back in the spring of 1999. That's not just a cool stat; it's a testament to his Defensive Player of the Year-caliber impact on both ends of the floor.For Charlotte, it was another brutal chapter in a frustrating season. Despite 24 points from rookie Kon Knueppel and 22 from Miles Bridges, the Hornets' anemic 10-for-40 shooting from deep—their worst three-point percentage of the season—proved to be their ultimate undoing.Even the return of LaMelo Ball, who put up 20 points after dealing with a nagging right ankle impingement, couldn't spark a road win for a team that has now dropped six of its last seven and is a dismal 1-6 away from home. As both teams look ahead to Wednesday night, the Raptors head to Philadelphia with surging confidence, while the Hornets travel to Indiana searching for answers. In a league where momentum is everything, Toronto is building a tidal wave of it, one blocked shot at a time.
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