I was going to back the Hornets with Fred VanVleet out ... then I decided not to with Charlotte's Gordon Hayward ruled out. Then I changed my mind again when Raps stellar rookie Scottie Barnes was ruled out. Also consider this: Not much home-court advantage in Toronto with no fans allowed.

The Raptors are 0-3 without Fred VanVleet in their starting lineup, and two of those defeats came at home. While the Hornets are 0-2 without Gordon Hayward, Toronto's lack of a legitimate reserve point guard favors LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier. I expect Charlotte to play inspired ball after suffering an abysmal home loss to the Hawks over the weekend.