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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- The Charlotte Hornets took a step in the
right direction Monday night. There are many more remaining.
"I don't think you can ever put something like this behind you.
We're just going to keep trying to take it one day at a time,"
Eddie Jones said after the Hornets won for the first time since
co-captain Bobby Phills was killed in a car wreck.
|  | | Charlotte's Eddie Jones leaves the Raptors' Doug Christie behind and drives for two of his game-high 25 points. |
Five days after the crash and one day after burying Phills, the
Hornets rode a 25-0 surge to a 115-94 victory over the Toronto
Raptors.
The run was one point short of the club record for most
consecutive points scored and it helped the Hornets end a
seven-game losing skid. But those numbers were secondary on an
emotional night when the team continued to focus on its recovery
from the shock of losing Phills.
"This is a major boost," coach Paul Silas said. "We have
quality people on this team. There's no reason we can't pick it up
and go forward."
The days following the wreck appeared to be hardest on point
guard David Wesley, Phills' close friend and the man police say
Phills was racing at the time of the crash near the Charlotte
Coliseum.
Wesley, wearing one of Phills' sweatbands on his left arm, was
wiping away tears at the start of the game, but by late in the
third quarter, he was grinning and trading high-fives and cheers
with teammates.
He has declined to speak with reporters since the crash.
"We're talking to him," Silas said. "He knows we're with him
and he knows we depend on him. We expect great things from David
coming down the stretch."
Charlotte, improving to 14-2 at home, got 25 points and five
steals from Jones, 24 points and 11 rebounds from Derrick Coleman,
and 23 points from Elden Campbell. Wesley, repeatedly drawing loud
cheers from the crowd of 20,278, finished with nine points, nine
assists and three rebounds.
Vince Carter, one of several Toronto players to spend much of
the game in foul trouble, also left briefly in the third quarter
with a bruised right knee. He wound up playing just 29 minutes but
had 24 points, two games after scoring a club-record 47.
The Raptors wound up with 36 fouls, leading to the Hornets
shooting 55 free throws and making 41 -- both club records.
"We made mistakes defensively," Toronto's Antonio Davis said.
"It's been something that's been coming on over the last 12 games.
somebody has to step up and take the personal challenge."
Charlotte held the Raptors scoreless for more than seven minutes bridging the second and third quarters, opening the way for the
Hornets to build a 63-50 lead. At that stage, Toronto had eight
players with at least three fouls.
Wesley took over from there, contributing five points and two
assists as the Hornets stretched their lead to 79-58 with 4:29 left
in the quarter.
The Raptors got no closer than 12 in the fourth quarter.
The evening began with a reading of a letter of gratitude to the
Hornets and their fans from Phills' widow, Kendall, and it
continued with a video tribute to her late husband. The clip
featured a mix of Phills' highlights and him hamming for cameras
with his teammates and his wife.
With the arena still dark, the club asked fans to take part in a
moment of silence, during which a spotlight was trained on a chair
placed near the Hornets' basket. A basketball sat on the chair and
Phills' jersey was draped over the back of the seat.
While practically everyone in the arena stood, Wesley sat on the Hornets' bench, slumped over and crying. Several teammates tried to console him after the lights came back up, but he still had tears
in his eyes when he walked out for the opening tip.
"The tribute to start the game was emotional," Charlotte's
Anthony Mason said. "We had to get past that, swallow back our
tears and hold our hearts."
Game notes
Toronto played without Charles Oakley, who was serving a one-game suspension for what the NBA called "unsportsmanlike conduct" in a loss to Milwaukee on Saturday. ... Charlotte scored a season-high 40 points in the third quarter. ... Toronto is 1-7 overall in Charlotte, including losses in its last four games.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Toronto Clubhouse
Charlotte Clubhouse
Phills, Wesley topped 100 mph, police say
Hornets announce makeup dates for postponed games
RECAPS
Boston 105
Washington 101
Milwaukee 107
Atlanta 101
Philadelphia 101
New Jersey 96
Seattle 82
LA Lakers 81
Golden State 113
Orlando 100
New York 105
Detroit 94
Charlotte 115
Toronto 94
Minnesota 101
Indiana 100
Houston 121
Dallas 111
San Antonio 99
LA Clippers 93
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