Look, it’s not like the Hornets are going to make the playoffs or anything this season, but after a 27-point win over the mighty Thunder on Monday, people are starting to take notice of a young squad that has won six of its last 11 contests. Charlotte also won its last meeting with Toronto back in late November.
That was a blip in what’s otherwise been a very encouraging campaign for the Raptors, who enter tonight’s tilt seven games above .500 and in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. A notable improvement for a team that hasn’t made the NBA’s postseason since 2021-22.
Which team will stay hot on Wednesday? Let’s preview this game with the help of some of some odds and lines on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Raptors vs. Hornets prediction, preview
It can not be overstated just how soundly the Hornets dominated the reigning NBA Champions to begin the week. Charlotte outscored Oklahoma City by 17 points in the second quarter and never looked back, eventually emerging with a 124-97 victory — the first time this season that the Thunder have been held below 100 points.
It’s unlikely the Hornets will be able to consistently replicate a 51.4% shooting rate from three-point range, yet this is a suddenly a roster with quite a bit of offensive talent when fully healthy. Former second-overall pic Brandon Miller was 7-for-10 from beyond the arc on Monday, finishing with a team-high 28 points. In his past five starts, Miller is averaging a robust 26.6 points. Then there’s Kon Knueppel. The rookie made five of his seven attempts from distance against the Thunder, and the 20-year-old is shooting 43.5% from three for the season as a whole. In fact, Knueppel’s now made 127 three-pointers in 2025-26, which is a figure that trails only Donovan Mitchell and Steph Curry. Pretty decent company!
Still, Charlotte isn’t the only squad leaning on its youth and seeing dividends. With a lingering back issue keeping Jakob Poeltl in street clothes, Collin Murray-Boyles has started the past two games for Toronto as an undersized center. The man they call “CMB” was effective in Saturday’s win versus the Hawks, but it was his performance in Monday’s 118-100 victory that really started to turn some heads. The former ninth-overall pick set a new career-high with 31.2 minutes, using that surplus of opportunity to register 17 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, three steals and a pair of blocks. Murray-Boyles had a reputation as a defensive force in college, and that’s already begun to carry over into the pro game.
If Murray-Boyles’ recent performance wasn’t heartening enough on its own, the rookie’s chemistry with All-Star Scottie Barnes has to be making the Raptors’ front office jump for joy. In the 253 minutes the long-limbed duo have played together this season, Toronto is outscoring opponents by 6.2 points per 100 possessions. As you would expect, much of that success has been generated on he defensive end of the court, with the Raptors owning an elite 104.7 defensive rating in that same sample. Remember, Barnes is the lone player in the league with at least 50 steals and 50 blocks. These two forwards can cause nightmares in tandem.
Raptors vs. Hornets pick, best bet
Best Bet: Under 230.5 (-105)
No team has hit the under as frequently as the Raptors this season, which makes sense given they possess the league’s third-best defensive rating (111.8). Specific to this matchup, both Toronto and Charlotte rank in the bottom third of the NBA in pace, and I’d expect some shooting regression from the Hornets — especially from three.
