The Charlotte Hornets (15 - 10) defeated the Toronto Raptors (16 - 11) 109 - 99 in overtime on Thursday. The Hornets' prized offseason acquisition, Nicolas Batum, left Wednesday night's contest versus the Magic with an illness. That same malady extended into Thursday, opening up the starting opportunity for Jeremy Lin. The six - year pro had his best scoring game in over two years, tallying a game - high 35 points on outstanding 13 of 22 shooting from the field. The total included a pair of three - pointers, and was amassed over a robust 47 minutes. Lin's previous scoring high on the season was 19 points, but the 27 - year - old showed that he is still highly capable of a breakout performance when given extended opportunity. The player who had considerable trouble defending Lin, DeMar DeRozan, nevertheless had a stellar offensive showing of his own. The Raptors' shooting guard collected a team - high 31 points and added five assists, four rebounds, a steal and a block. The outing was DeRozan's fifth consecutive game with 20 or more points. His trusty backcourt mate Kyle Lowry pitched in with 20 points, but needed an astounding amount of shot attempts to get there. Lowry was an atrocious 6 of 29 from the field, including 3 for 17 from beyond the arc. Bismack Biyombo and Terrence Ross both provided solid contributions, with the former accumulating a season - high 18 rebounds (along with eight points), and the latter pouring in 17 points on the strength of a season - high five three - pointers. The Raptors fell to 16 - 11 but remain in first place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. They head to Miami to take on the Heat on Friday. Kemba Walker was the second member of the Hornets' backcourt to spearhead Charlotte's offensive attack, supporting Lin's effort with 27 points of his own. He added seven assists, six rebounds, a pair of blocks and a steal. Marvin Williams contributed a 10 - point, 10 - rebound double - double, while P.J. Hairston pitched in with a second straight 14 - point performance that included a season - high four three - pointers. One of those long - range buckets came with 1:30 left in the overtime period and gave the home team a lead they would not relinquish. Spencer Hawes was highly productive off the bench, collecting a modest five points but hauling in an impressive 10 boards. He added four assists, three steals and a block in a highly efficient 23 minutes of action. The Hornets improved to 15 - 10 and currently reside in second place in the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division. They head to Washington for a Saturday night showdown with the Wizards.
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