Chris Bosh scored 27 points and the Toronto Raptors used a 27-4 run in the third quarter to take control of a 107-90 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Friday night. The Raptors trailed 56-51 before hitting a barrage of open 3-pointers to put the game away. Boshs 3 gave them the lead for good, 57-56, and Hedo Turkoglu and Andrea Bargnani both hit three 3s in the next 7 minutes as Toronto went ahead 81-63. Turkoglu and Jose Calderon both had 16 points for Toronto, while Bargnani added 14. Chris Paul led New Orleans with 21 points and a season-high 18 assists, while Bobby Brown added 16 points and David West had 14. The Hornets (2-4), who are below .500 after six games for the first time since 2005-06, trailed 83-65 at the end of the third quarter and heard some boos as they walked to the bench. The Hornets started the second half with a 3-pointer from Morris Peterson and a dunk by Emeka Okafor to go ahead 56-51, but it was all downhill from there. Bosh hit all nine of his shots, mostly from inside, and the Raptors were almost as proficient from the 3-point line in the second half. After connecting on only 3 of 11 3s in the first half, they made 11 of 18 after the break. Toronto led 83-65 after its 34-point third quarter and stretched the lead to 98-73 as the Hornets never made a run. Midway through the fourth quarter, the New Orleans Arena was more than half-empty. Neither team led by more than seven points before Torontos decisive spurt. Continued... |