Kyle Lowry scored 21 points and all of Toronto’s starters finished in double figures as the Raptors erased a 17-point fourth quarter deficit to beat the Charlotte Hornets 90-85 on Wednesday night.
Lowry, who also had six rebounds and six assists, had a three-point play to break an 82-82 tie with 1:40 to go. After Delon Wright’s layup made it a five-point game, Nicolas Batum hit a 3 for Charlotte to pull the Hornets within two, but DeMarre Carroll responded with a 3 of his own with 7.4 seconds to go to ice it and help the Raptors end a three-game losing streak.
Norman Powell had 17 points and Jonas Valanciunas had 10 points and 11 rebounds as the Raptors won for just the fifth time in the past 16 games.
Frank Kaminsky had a game-high 27 points, and Kemba Walker added 24 points and nine assists for Charlotte, which dropped its fourth straight and 11th consecutive road game.
The Raptors entered the fourth quarter down 75-58, but quickly erased the Hornets’ 17-point lead.
Lowry and Cory Joseph each hit a pair of 3s as Toronto began the final quarter by outscoring the Hornets 20-2 over the first 4:49 to surge into a 78-77 lead.
Walker banked in a runner from the key with 3:06 to play for Charlotte’s first field goal of the fourth quarter, cutting Toronto’s lead to 82-79.
Kaminsky then tied it with a 3 with 1:54 to go in the fourth.
Toronto ended the game by outscoring Charlotte 32-10 in the final quarter.
Charlotte took a 75-58 lead into the final quarter on the strength of a dominant third. The Hornets outscored the Raptors 34-14 in the period, shooting a sizzling 77 percent from the field compared to just 25 percent for Toronto. They opened the quarter on an 8-0 run to take the lead for the first time since the opening quarter as the Raptors missed their first seven shots of the second half.
Kaminsky led the way for the Hornets in the third period with 15 points.
The Hornets closed the third quarter on a 13-3 run over the final 3: 46, prompting the Toronto fans to boo the Raptors off the court when the horn sounded to end the period.
Toronto took a 44-41 lead into the halftime break, but the Raptors led by as many as 14 points early in the second quarter before Walker got hot.
The All-Star guard hit all four 3s he attempted in the quarter, including three in a 48-second stretch. He led all scorers at the half with 15 points, 12 in the second period.
While the Hornets shot just 38 from the field in the second quarter, they were able to make up ground on the scoreboard against the woeful Raptors, who hit only 26 percent of their shots in the period, including 1 for 7 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Hornets: C Miles Plumlee, who strained his right calf in Monday’s loss at home to Philadelphia, did not dress. … C Cody Zeller missed his third straight game with quad soreness. … F Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had his team-best 15th game of the season with at least 10 rebounds.
Raptors: PF Serge Ibaka, acquired in a trade Tuesday with the Orlando Magic in exchange for Terrence Ross and a first-round draft choice, did not play. … F Patrick Patterson missed his sixth straight game with a left knee contusion. … C Jonas Valanciunas posted his team-leading 21st double-double of the season.
Hornets: Return from the All-Star break with a stretch of six straight road games, which begin at Detroit on Feb. 23.
Raptors: Expect to have Ibaka in the lineup when they return from the All-Star break to host Boston on Feb. 24.
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