The Charlotte Hornets have now lost two straight games after winning seven of their last eight games. They traveled to Toronto for the first time this season to take on the Raptors and lost 125-113.

Charlotte has had defensive breakdowns in their last couple of losses. On Tuesday night, the Hornets gave up 39 points in the first quarter and 37 points in the second. It was just a forgettable night on that end of the floor. Head coach James Borrego, who was visibly upset during postgame interviews, had this to say about his team's defense:

“There was no defense at all in this game, period. First quarter we had a poor start defensively and it carried through. We find our way in the third, but we gotta be better tomorrow night. Just a poor first quarter performance defensively. Not enough effort or urgency.”

The Hornets did cut an 18-point deficit down to three in the third, but they just couldn't disrupt the Raptors rhythm offensively. It's hard to come back after allowing a 76-point first half though. The Hornets are still a young team and some nights they get a little lazy on that end of the floor. As the playoffs draw closer, thats a habit that needs to be broken.

Despite the loss, James Bouknight saw the floor and made sure his impact was felt. He finished with 18 points in 29 minutes. The rookie's spark off the bench was needed not just for the team, but for his individual confidence. Borrego loved what he saw from his rookie:

“He played good tonight. I thought he was aggressive. I liked him out there. He had urgency and was engaged offensively and defensively.”

 

Bouk replied to those comments as well:

“That means the world. Even when you're working in the dark, there's always someone watching. He's been seeing me in the gym since I've been here and he knows I'm ready. I just wanted to be a spark off the bench.” Bouknight’s performance was a nice surprise for this team.

LaMelo Ball finished with 25 points and seven assists. Miles Bridges ended the night with 22 points.

They need to shake off this loss and get ready to play the Indiana Pacers on their home court for the second night of a back-to-back on Wednesday.