Charlotte overcomes 17-point hole, stuns Toronto in OT

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Charlotte Hornets survived the early rampage from the Toronto Raptors, pulling off an impressive 17-point comeback to get the job done in overtime, 118–111, in the ongoing NBA regular season on Nov. 30, 2025.

After the Raptors blew the game wide open with an early 26–9 lead in the opening quarter, the Hornets slowly chipped away at their deficit and relied on multiple impressive efforts from Miles Bridges, rookie Kon Knueppel, Collin Sexton, and superstar point guard LaMelo Ball.

What was once a one-sided Eastern Conference matchup quickly turned into a nip-and-tuck affair after the Hornets woke up midway through the third frame, trimming their deficit to just single digits.

Through the tremendous court vision of Ball, Charlotte’s stagnant offense transformed into a high-octane attack that caught the rolling Toronto squad off guard.

Just when the Raptors thought they could escape with a thrilling win after Scottie Barnes cashed in both free throws to give Toronto a 104–101 lead with 12.6 seconds left in regulation, the Hornets had other plans and proved their clutch DNA—courtesy of the brave Knueppel.

Off a timeout following Barnes’ perfect 2-of-2 trip to the charity stripe, Charlotte drew up a game-tying play for the rookie, who paid off the coaching staff’s trust by burying a huge trifecta that tied the game at 104-all.

The Hornets executed a reverse floppy play for Knueppel, who came off two staggered screens that momentarily freed him up in the left corner.

After getting a clean look—when Brandon Ingram failed to raise his hands to contest—Knueppel didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger, converting the biggest trey for the Hornets to complete the insane 17-point come-from-behind effort.

Toronto had one last chance to salvage a win with 10.1 seconds left on the final possession, but Ingram missed his pull-up perimeter attempt from his favorite spot, sending the game into an extra five-minute period.

However, when the overtime period began, the Hornets left the Raptors behind as they banked on Bridges’ offensive eruption, dropping 10 markers in OT alone to help Charlotte win back-to-back games.

Bridges capped off his superb performance with a game-high 35-point outing built on an efficient 13-of-23 shooting from the field, while Knueppel and Sexton delivered 20 and 18 markers, respectively.

Despite struggling to find his rhythm on offense, Ball managed to make his presence felt in other departments, tallying 14 points, five assists, and two rebounds.

On the other hand, Toronto snapped its nine-game winning streak—losing for the first time since Nov. 12—and will look to bounce back today against Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks.