By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Facing the Toronto Raptors for the first time since being waived before the 2022-23 season, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk was on a roll but at the same time well short of a win for the Charlotte Hornets.
Opening the 13-game schedule of NBA Sundays, the Raptors dominated en route to the win, 128-108, in Spectrum Center.
Mykhailiuk, 25, had 26 points, a new individual high in the NBA. The Ukrainian swingman started in an unusual lineup and lasted 33 minutes. Besides shooting 10/17 from the field, including 5/9 triples, he tallied five assists, four rebounds, and two blocks.
Playing for the Raptors through the 2021-22 season, he joined the New York Knicks in September and was traded to Charlotte in February. Since being selected 47th overall in the 2018 NBA draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Detroit Pistons, and Los Angeles Lakers are the rest of the former teams in the NBA.
Starting alongside Mykhailiuk, French Theo Maledon dished out a career-high 14 assists to go with eight points, eight rebounds, and one block in the losing effort. Already out of postseason contention, the team coached by Steve Clifford fell to 26-53.
Toronto, destined to end up in the Play-Ins following the conclusion of the 2022-23 NBA Regular Season, jumped to an even 39-39 behind Pascal Siakam’s 36 points. British O.G. Anunoby followed with 23 points plus seven rebounds and one assist but tweaked his ankle late in the fourth quarter. Austrian Jakob Poeltl had 16 points, nine rebounds, five blocks, three assists, and one steal in 30 minutes.
Photo Credit: Getty Images