Everyone seems to have their coming out party against the Hornets and it was no different for Rookie Jonathan Mogbo. He collected his first career triple-double as the Toronto Raptors wrapped up their home slate with a convincing 126-96 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night.
Mogbo made his presence felt, finishing with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 11 helpers, and reserve Jared Rhoden added 23 points for the Raptors (30-50), who won their second consecutive game.
The Raptors best player Scottie Barnes had a double-double with 17 points and crashed the boards with 11 rebounds, A.J. Lawson scored 14 points, RJ Barrett contributed 11 points, Jamison Battle put up 10 points and Orlando Robinson had nine points and 12 rebounds. It was a balanced effort.
Nick Smith Jr. had a game high 28 points and 10 assists for the Hornets (19-61), who have lost 10 of 11 and are ready to go on vacation. Jusuf Nurkic added 26 points and nine rebounds.
In a contest involving two teams long out of playoff or play-in contention, Toronto led 25-23 after an opening quarter that featured nine lead changes.
The Hornets, who dropped their final home game of the season 124-100 on Tuesday to Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies, were up to the task, matching the more rested Raptors in early energy.
Toronto scored five straight points to lead 35-30 with a little under five minutes to play in the first half.
Nurkic played a powerful game around the glass, and he twice brought Charlotte to within three with a bunny and then a hook shot.
Embed from Getty ImagesThen the Raptors put the pedal to the metal and pulled out to a 12-point lead with 2:24 left in the half on a barrage of 3-pointers, one by Barnes followed by two consecutive from Immanuel Quickley.
Toronto led by eight, 53-45 going into the locker room. Neither team exactly set the world on fire, but the difference was the perimeter shooting with the Raptors going 10-for-29 and the Hornets at 4-for-16.
Barnes, who has been dealing with a hand injury, scored Toronto’s first seven points of the third quarter. The Raptors controlled the period, and the lead reached 18 when Battle hit a 3-pointer with 3:51 remaining. The gap widened even more, reaching 23 points on Cole Swider’s 3-pointer. Nurkic’s layup with seven seconds remaining left Toronto with a 20-point lead, 88-68 after three quarters.
Swider buried a 3-pointer with 9:11 to go in the final frame and Toronto led by 25. Rhoden’s triple extended the margin to 32.
The Hornets seldom-used reserve 39-year-old Taj Gibson played in his 1,000th NBA game and had two points, five rebounds and two blocked shots in 18 minutes.
Toronto’s Jakob Poeltl (hand) and Charlotte’s Miles Bridges (hip) did not play.
Both teams are in action on Friday night. The Hornets are travelling to Boston to take on the reigning champion Celtics and the Raptors are on the road in a matchup with Anthony Davis and the Dallas Mavericks.
