Charlotte Bobcats at Toronto Raptors Preview

Here are some notable stats and notes heading into tonight’s 7:00 p.m. ET game between the Charlotte Bobcats and Toronto Raptors. The Bobcats will be facing a Raptors team that will be  without Andre Bargnani, Linas Kleiza, Jonas Valanciunas, and Aaron Gray, and they could also be without talented Washington Huskies rookie Terrence Ross as well.

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Despite the injuries, the Raptors are 7-3 in their past ten games and are over .500 at home. Both teams match up evenly on offense, but the difference is the Bobcats poor frontcourt and awful defensive play. The Bobcats have a great backcourt and can put up points on offense (they just came off of a 108-point overtime victory over the Detroit Pistons), but they allow 104 points per game on defense and need to do a much better job there.

Star Gerald Henderson has been excellent since coming back from an injury, and he continues to be the team’s main source of offense. Henderson has added a dangerous three-point shot to his game this season, and that’s what has allowed him to become even more productive on offense this year.

Kyle Lowry has a PER over 21 and is the guy to watch out for on the Raptors in this game, because he is an efficient shooter in addition to being an underrated passer and above-average rebounder. Lowry is also a great defensive player and averages 1.5 steals per game to go with a 104 defensive rating.

For the Bobcats, I expect Michael Kidd-Gilchrist’s overall ability to be a big X-Factor, and I have a feeling he will fill up the stat sheet with a huge game. If the scorers around him like Ramon Sessions and Ben Gordon are able to produce at an efficient level, then the Bobcats have a great chance at winning this game and getting back on the right track after a rough spell.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.