Raptors top Hornets for franchise-best 49 wins
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - Kyle Lowry had 26 points and seven assists and the Toronto Raptors defeated the Charlotte Hornets 92-87 on the final day of the regular season Wednesday.
Jonas Valanciunas netted 18 points, while DeMar DeRozan added 16 points and six assists for the Raptors (49-33), who finished the season with a franchise- record 49 wins.
Toronto can earn the third seed in the Eastern Conference with a Chicago Bulls loss to the Atlanta Hawks. If the Bulls win, then the Raptors would get the No. 4 seed.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Troy Daniels finished with 24 points to lead Charlotte (33-49), which ended the season with a six-game losing streak.
The Hornets, who were seeking consecutive playoff appearances for the first time since a three-year run from 2000-02, held the No. 7 seed on March 8, but lost 16 of their last 21 games.
The Hornets overcame a 10-point deficit early in the second quarter following a 14-2 run. Daniels knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and netted eight straight points at one point during the surge, which was capped on a Gerald Henderson floater for a 40-38 Charlotte advantage midway through the frame.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Toronto, though, ripped off the next 10 points to regain control and was never seriously threatened again.
Valanciunas recorded the final two baskets of the swing to give the Raptors a 48-40 margin with 2:40 to go until the half. DeRozan nailed a turnaround fadeaway at the horn to extend the spread to 55-44 at the break.
The Raptors were up 78-67 after three quarters and led by as many as 17 points in the final period en route to the easy win.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Game Notes
Toronto surpassed last season's win total of 48 ... The Raptors took just four free throws and made all of them, while the Hornets were 15-of-16 from the charity stripe ... Kemba Walker scored 17 points for Charlotte.