Gerald Henderson. Thirty-One Points. Yep, I think that explains just about everything as the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Toronto Raptors 103-95. Henderson became the second big scorer as Kemba Walker almost scored thirty again with more late game big shots.
Henderson feasted on matchup problems caused by the continued absence of DeMar DeRozan from the Raptors lineup. The various options that the Raptors tried to use on Henderson included Landry Fields, Terrence Ross, Greivis Vasquez, and others. Henderson also profited from Toronto’s defensive focus on Walker.
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The Hornets fielded a strange set of lineups due to injuries and choosing to rest players. Bismack Biyombo played significant minutes at the center position and Cody Zeller did not play at all. This was most likely to rest Zeller. PJ Hairston also did not play due to illness.
Three point shooting was largely non-existent for the Hornets. Marvin Williams made three shots from the distance and Walker made one. That was it. Williams finished with thirteen points. Forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist recorded another double-double with ten points and twelve rebounds. Noah Vonleh even made an appearance for the Hornets.
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Walker’s 29 points were nearly equaled by Kyle Lowry of the Raptors’ 24 points. Lou Williams added fifteen points off the bench. Vazquez added eleven points. Big man Jonas Valanciunas scored ten points. Former North Carolina star Tyler Hansbrough scored his first career three pointer during the game.
Even without DeRozan this was a pretty impressive win for the shorthanded Hornets. It was a road win over what should be a playoff team on the second night of a back to back. Walker has shown some good consistency in clutch situations over the last few games. The issue is who his wing man is going to be. Tonight it was Henderson, but can the Hornets get a second strong performance from its supporting cast every night?