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Bosh’s Double-Double Leads Raptors Over Hornets
Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Chris Bosh led all scorers with 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, as the Toronto Raptors held on for a 98-92 win over the New Orleans Hornets at Air Canada Centre.
Jarrett Jack chipped in with 15 points, seven assists and five boards, while Hedo Turkoglu added 14 points and seven assists for the Raptors, who were able to build off a lopsided 118-95 victory over New Jersey on Friday. Toronto, which also got 13 points and 11 rebounds from Andrea Bargnani, has won three of the last five.
“We know what Chris (Paul) likes to do,” Bosh said. “We know he likes to go to the lane and we tried to combat that. Jarrett (Jack) also did a good job of covering Emeka (Okafor).”
David West had a team-leading 21 points to go along with 12 boards for New Orleans, which was coming off back-to-back wins over Detroit and Denver but has dropped three of five. Emeka Okafor ended with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Chris Paul had 10 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. The Hornets have dropped seven of their last eight on the road and fell to 2-11 as the visitor.
“We had shots right there at point blank range that we needed to fall and they didn’t,” West said about the Hornets missed chances late in the game. “Turkoglu off the screen-and-role on the last couple of possessions burned us.”
Bosh’s make with 7 1/2 minutes to play in the game put Toronto ahead by nine, 86-77, but New Orleans responded by scoring the next six to get within three near the four-minute mark.
Paul then drained a pair of free throws with a shade over a minute remaining to make it a 94-92 game before Bosh answered with reverse layup on the Raptors next trip. Toronto was able to hold on in the closing seconds.
Toronto led, 26-22, after the opening quarter, then closed the second on a 13-4 run, and, despite West’s tip-in with under a second to play, held a 51-47 advantage at the break.
In a closely contested third quarter, DeMar DeRozan’s jumper with nearly 3 1/2 minutes remaining put the Raptors back in front, and Toronto would score the final eight points to go in front, 76-69, after three.
Toronto claimed an easy 107-90 win in New Orleans on November 6 and swept the season series...DeRozan ended with 10 points, while Amir Johnson had 12 rebounds and six points in the win...Peja Stojakovic had 12 points for New Orleans.
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