Ibaka, Anunoby among standouts as Raptors rout Hornets

Rudi Schuller

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Ibaka, Anunoby among standouts as Raptors rout Hornets image

The Toronto Raptors passed their way around the Charlotte Hornets in North Carolina on Wednesday night, racking up a season-high 35 team assists en route to a dominant 129-111 victory.

It was the ninth time this season Toronto had scored at least 120 points in a game, good for second in the NBA behind the high-octane Golden State Warriors. The Raptors did it by sharing the basketball, with every player except one (Jonas Valanciunas) tallying at least one assist on the night.

"Sharing the ball, moving it, everybody getting a chance to make a play, reading the game. I think it's beneficial because it's hard to lock in and key in on one specific play," Toronto guard DeMar DeRozan said. "We're still getting better at it. We still feel like we got a long way to go. We always try to clean up every single thing we do mess up on so we can be better for the next game."

The unselfish play led to a trio of Raptors surpassing the 20-point mark. DeRozan was tops with 28, while Serge Ibaka and OG Anunoby hit for 24 and 20, respectively.

The relatively easy victory was Toronto's fourth in a row, boosting the team to a 21-8 record. The Raptors head to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers on Thursday to complete a back-to-back, and they'll do so having been able to rest most of their starters for the majority of the fourth quarter against the Hornets.

Uneven opening quarter

Despite the lopsided final score, there was a time in the game when the Hornets looked like they were going to give Toronto a difficult path to victory.

Charlotte went on a 13-2 run near the end of the first quarter to grab a temporary lead, as the Raptors' second unit struggled to find a rhythm in the early going.

Toronto's starters would take over in the second frame, especially the trio of DeRozan, Ibaka and Kyle Lowry. The three Raptors' veterans combined for 41 points in the first half to pace their team to a 16-point lead heading into the halftime break.

Welcome back, Serge

Ibaka returned to the Raptors lineup after missing their previous game with a sore left knee, and the big man showed no ill effects as he burned the Hornets all night long.

Shooting over 68 percent from the field, the 28-year-old was a threat from inside and outside. Ibaka was 2-of-3 from three-point range and absolutely dominant under the rim.

Ibaka's presence was hard to miss on Wednesday, and his stellar play didn't go unnoticed by his teammates.

"Serge has been playing great the last few weeks," DeRozan said. "When Serge is playing well, it makes everybody else's job that much easier. Nobody can lock in on me and Kyle defensively. It's great. It's just fun to see him get it going because he gets a lot of easy shots and it makes our job a lot easier."

The real OG

In Anunoby, the Raptors added another weapon to their potent offence in his rookie season, and on Wednesday the 20-year-old raised the bar.

On nearly 78 percent shooting, Anunoby scored a career-high 20 points and was a big contributor overall. But what really stood out was his long-range shooting, with the rookie going 6-of-7 from beyond the arc.

Big third for DD

As has become the norm, DeRozan led all Toronto scorers. Once again, the long-time Raptor used a big third quarter to help propel his team to victory.

The Compton, Calif. native poured in 18 points in the third quarter, keeping any Hornets hopes of mounting a comeback at bay.

Perhaps most notable is that DeRozan, not known for his efficiency from beyond the arc, nailed a trio of three-pointers on four attempts. It was the first time he had made two or more three-pointers in a game since late November.

Rudi Schuller