Tidjane Salaun gets real after career game against Raptors

ByNBAUSA



The The Charlotte Hornets were desperately trying to get off the losing streakand Tidjane Salaun rose as the unlikely hero with a career-high eruption that completely reshaped the night. The forward secured the Hornets’ 111-86 victory over the Toronto Raptorslifting Charlotte to 7-16 and ending a stretch where they had won just three of their last ten. Salaun came off the bench and scored 21 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including 5-of-6 from deep, adding three rebounds and a +18 in 22 minutes. For someone who averaged 6.6 points this season, the jump was loud.

Tidjane Salaun he said the performance began with belief. “It’s just about confidence,” he explained. “When I’m confident I feel I can be the best player, but that’s also because my teammates trust me and we have a great spirit and energy with each other. The Hornets needed conviction and he gave them possession after possession.”

A display by the Hornets that changes the conversation

The Raptors are now 15-9 and still hold the 3rd spot in the East. After the loss to the Lakersthis match against the lowly Hornets should have been reset. Instead, the Raptors absorbed a second straight goal as the Hornets controlled tempo, spacing and every shooting window Salaun created.

Credit to the coaching staff for setting up nights like this. “We have a high-character group because we don’t want to lose every time – we want to win, but we also want to play the right way,” Salaun said. “That’s what coach has been teaching us for the last year. Without this type of coach and the spirit we’ve built, we can’t play like this or with each other on the court.”

The Hornets walked away with a much-needed winand Tidjane Salaun walked away with a career high that felt like the start of something bigger. If this is the version that keeps appearing, how far can Charlotte climb?





2025-12-06 14:23:00

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