Brandon Ingram failed in the clutch when Raptors needed him most

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The host Charlotte Hornets made a splash Saturday night knowing the Raptors were as hot as any team in the NBA, winning nine straight and 13 of their last 14 games at Spectrum Center.

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The Hornets aren't all that good, but in two games played over the course of two weeks against the Raptors, they did face some serious problems in the matchup.

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The hero of the first game, Brandon Ingram wore goat horns in this game, and Charlotte pulled off a very entertaining and gutsy 118-111 overtime victory.

Too many turnovers, too few bench turnovers and too long a fourth-quarter layoff didn't help Toronto.

Charlotte didn't take the lead until overtime, overcoming a huge deficit, and richly deserved its victory, just its sixth in 20 games.

Below are three takeaways from a night where the Raptors might have been guilty of looking forward to Sunday's game in Gotham against the Knicks, knowing the matchup would serve as a preview of the NBA Cup quarterfinals.

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Barnes burner

After making all 14 of his trips to the foul line in Wednesday's win, Scottie Barnes didn't make his first free throw until the two-minute mark in the third quarter against Charlotte.

Of course, the referees allowed both teams to get away with it by putting extra pressure on the defensive end. In other words, you can't blame the judges.

Still, you could hear the anti-referential sentiment in the background, as if a team as bad as Charlotte would benefit from the benefit of innocence.

Once again, Barnes was present on both ends of the floor, grabbing rebounds and making efficient offensive plays. He finished with 30 points and 12 boards.

When Barnes made plays from the box, the Hornets had a hard time keeping him out of position.

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Mixed BI homecoming

Ingram grew up about four hours east of Charlotte and decided to stay in the state after finishing his lone season at Duke.

Like the Raptors, Ingram was on a roll. Eight minutes into the game, he scored the same number of points (10) as the entire Hornets team. During that same stretch, the Raptors missed just three shots, while Charlotte missed just three.

A noted getter, Ingram has shown some ability on defense. But make no mistake, he will never be known as a defender.

His offense, however, was never forced: he would make a pass and then break away from the foul line for four straight points, giving him 14 points in 15 minutes.

However, Ingram did not play a role in the final quarter and overtime. He failed to make any of his shot attempts, including a shot at the buzzer that would have won the game, and finished with 22 points on just 10 of 26 shooting.

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He also offered virtually no resistance when rookie Con Knuppel scored the corner three to tie the game at 10.1 ticks.

Dick delivers something like

Grady Dick's season was mostly frustrating, he didn't know when the shots would be presented, he didn't know how many minutes would be allotted.

At least he hasn't lost his competitive level. This helps you stay engaged when you're on a fast-paced team.

At his best, Dick drills 3-pointers, chases down misses and plays with an offensive freedom that allows the third-year forward to get his man off the dribble.

An encouraging sign came in the first quarter, 12 minutes into the game, when the Raptors imposed their will early on and led by 17 points.

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In Wednesday's home win over Indiana, Dick was limited to seven minutes after taking a hard fall to the floor. No lingering effects were evident against the Hornets, who played back-to-back games late in the game.

In one powerful motion toward the hole, Dick completed the putt with his left hand. He ended up scoring five points.

With RJ Barrett (knee) out of the game, there is internal competition between Dick and the likes of Ja'Coby Walter, who started Saturday, and Collin Murray-Boyles.

Compared to Walter and CMB, Dick is a seasoned veteran. He should play as one, as should Ochai Agbaji, who is also in the game for a few minutes with Barrett on the sidelines.

Overall, Toronto's bench was unproductive and was outplayed by Charlotte's second unit.

Next

Sunday's 6:00 p.m. forecast at the stadium considered the mecca of hoops will now be on another level as the Raptors and Knicks meet in the NBA Cup quarterfinals Dec. 9 (8:30 p.m.) in Toronto with a trip to Las Vegas on the line… New York is 9-1 at home, with its only loss coming to Orlando, which hosts Miami in the other Eastern quarterfinals.

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