Bosh guides Raptors past Hornets

Jose Calderon notched 14 points and eight assists for the Raptors, who have won four of five. Anthony Parker added 12 points and nine boards.

Raptors point guard T.J. Ford sat out with a sore right ankle, which got stepped on December 29th against Chicago, along with Andrea Bargnani (flu-like symptoms)

Rasual Butler scored 19 points for the Hornets, who have lost three of four. Bobby Jackson scored 17 points off the bench, and Devin Brown had 15 points and seven rebounds. Desmond Mason had 11 points and eight rebounds, while David West contributed nine points and 11 boards.

New Orleans/Oklahoma City continued to play without star guard Chris Paul (sprained right ankle) and forward Peja Stojakovic (lower back).

The Hornets opened the final stanza on a 10-0 run capped by a Brown trey with 7:34 remaining for a comfortable 15-point lead. The Raptors responded on a 16-2 run, however, snapped by a Jackson layup with 1:21 to go, and trailed by just three.

Bosh rimmed in a three from the top of the key with 1:01 left, and Calderon scored on a layup with 28.4 seconds to go for an 85-83 Raptors lead. Bosh then blocked a Jackson shot along the baseline, and Calderon converted 1- of-2 free throws with 20.3 seconds left to make it a two-possession game.

Jackson quickly cut through the lane for a layup with 14.6 seconds on the clock and a two-point Hornets deficit.

Bosh then went to the free-throw line and calmly sank both a second later. Butler missed on a jumper and Bosh hit another free throw with 2.6 seconds left to seal the hard-fought win, despite Jackson banking in a three at the buzzer.

The Hornets attained an early advantage by opening and closing the first quarter on 9-2 runs, the latter of which was sparked by a West finger roll with 2:25 to go, and led 31-22 heading into the second.

Toronto got back in the game by closing the second quarter on a 12-3 spurt capped by a Joey Graham runner with just three ticks left to trail 50-44 heading into the locker room.

Just as the Raptors were closing the gap, the Hornets regained control on a 13-4 burst capped by a Mason jumper with 3:58 remaining, and led 69-64 heading into the fourth.

Game Notes

Paul, who was injured on December 26th, leads the team in scoring (18.4 ppg) and assists (9.0 apg). Stojakovic is averaging 17.8 points per game and last played on November 24th...The Raptors posted a 94-77 road win over New Orleans/Oklahoma City on November 28 this season, and the teams have split the last four matchups...The Hornets have won four of their last seven at the Air Canada Centre.