Stinging setback to Hornets sends Raptors to fourth loss in a row … Raps blow into Windy City minus three key pieces … Bugs’ Ball balling out in rookie season

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At no point during the Nick Nurse era have the Raptors lost four games in succession.

At no point have the Raptors been this thin in talent, which explains why four straight games have been surrendered, why six of seven have ended in setbacks.

The only win during this stretch came against a woeful Houston Rockets team on a night when Nurse couldn’t be on the sideline due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols.

The host Charlotte Hornets exposed Toronto’s inferior talent Saturday night by going on a three-point shooting frenzy, starting the evening on fire and basically coasting to a 114-104 win.

If it wasn’t for Kyle Lowry, the Hornets could have won by 40, perhaps even 50.

Given the quality of pieces unavailable because of COVID protocols, the Raptors didn’t have much of a chance against a Hornets team that seems to have finally gotten its act together.

Outside of a few spurts, the Raptors were never able to provide enough resistance to a free-flowing Hornets offence that moved the ball and shot it from distance with ease and efficiency.

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With the Raptors in Chicago on Sunday night to play a rested Bulls team that has lost four of five, the odds of Toronto losing its fifth in a row seem pretty good.

As currently constituted in the wake of three critical pieces unavailable, the Raptors aren’t very good.

When Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby come back and are in shape, the Raptors should be good enough to compete.

But until then, Toronto’s struggles will continue because of its lack of talent.

Nurse kept Lowry on the bench in the fourth quarter, wisely knowing the Bulls await.

The bulldog point guard left with a bandage under his swollen right eye after taking a blow to his face.

He was by far Toronto’s best player.

Chris Boucher left late after receiving an accidental head butt to the mouth that drew blood.

DOWN AND OUT

Shorthanded in Charlotte, the Raptors will once again by undermanned in Chicago when they play the Bulls.

“I just think that we’re going to do this trip and then when we get back in (to the team’s home away from home in Tampa) on Monday with two days between games, take a survey of the land and see who’s ready to rejoin us and go from there,’’ Nurse said in the hours leading up to Saturday’s tip versus the Hornets.

Siakam, VanVleet and Anunoby, all starters, Malachi Flynn and Patrick McCaw had already been ruled out because of COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

None will be available Sunday.

HAVING A BALL

The Hornets have a pretty dynamic and emerging backcourt in Terry Rozier and rookie LaMelo Ball.

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Charlotte acquired Rozier in a 2019 sign and trade with Boston for Kemba Walker, while Ball was taken third overall.

Ball, 19, plays with confidence and has dramatically improved his odd-looking jumper.

On his first three looks from distance, Ball buried each open shot as Charlotte jumped out to a 19-2 lead, an advantage fuelled by Toronto’s carelessness and inability to shoot the ball.

Charlotte scored 31 points in the game’s opening seven minutes.

The Rozier-Ball tandem combined to score 22 of Charlotte’s 44 first-quarter points as Toronto trailed by 20.

The Raptors gave up 11 three-balls, the most surrendered in a quarter by an opponent in franchise history.

With Ball in the starting lineup, the Hornets are 10-7 following Saturday’s win.

Charlotte was able to give Canadian Nate Darling some minutes, becoming the first Nova Scotian to play in the NBA.