NBA Matchups: February 7

Toronto Raptors at Charlotte Hornets

Team Totals: Raptors 113, Hornets 111

Injury Report: Jalen McDaniels (O, ankle)

Raptors projected starters: Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr., OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam

Hornets projected starters: LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, Miles Bridges, Mason Plumlee

Nurse quotes: Said Siakam having his shot falling in a game usually gets him up to 30 points, said Scottie Barnes getting all the reps right now has been good for him, said it was hard to play defense against the Hawks, said that OG is “just a really good defender and there’s no two ways about it.”

Borrego quotes: Said he benched LaMelo because they were trailing and it was a B2B, said he and Bouknight got a little emotional and he wouldn’t add more, said Bouknight wants to play more, said he and Bouknight are trying to figure out how to make him better.

Stats and Notes: 

*Both of these teams have really stepped up on the defensive end in 2022. The Raptors are ranked 11th and the Raptors are ninth since the calendar turned to 2022. The Raptors have a clear desire to run, which has consistently caused them to get killed on the O glass. The Hornets have also been bad at limiting transition volume, so the running Raps could have success off Hornets misses. The Raptors also put in on the Hornets in the last game against them.

*Charlotte has been prone to giving up 3-pointers for the last two years, so it wasn’t a surprise that Gary Trent Jr. lit them up for 32 last month. FVV didn’t play in that game, and this sets up a very strong spot for FVV, as well. He’ll likely see a lot of Terry Rozier, which is a matchup FVV can exploit. I’d prefer FVV over Trent Jr. on the guard front.

*The Hornets have also struggled defending around the basket, ranking 20th in at-rim frequency for opponents. That should set up very well for Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam. We know Nurse will play them a ton, and they’re not in a B2B, which could shorten Nurse’s rotation a tad. Either way, we know Siakam is going to play at least in the upper 30s. Basically, play a Raptor! I’d rank them Pascal, FVV, Scottie, Trent, and OG relative to where their prices have been.

*Frontcourt guys have been able to take advantage of the Raptors at times, but it’s just a tough spot for them here. Miles Bridges will likely see a decent amount of OG Anunoby, which makes him a tough option here.

*LaMelo has been able to go off against good defenses lately, but this is certainly a tough spot. I could sign off on him just on role alone, but there’s some foul risk on the other side.

Miami Heat at Washington Wizards