The thrill of a first career touchdown, home run, or NBA points is a moment etched in every athlete’s memory.

For Charlotte Hornets‘ rookie forward Tidjane Salaün, that moment in his career arrived at the 2:26 mark of the second quarter when he scored his first NBA points against the Toronto Raptors.

Salaün displayed excellent effort to chase down a missed three-pointer by forward Grant Williams. The French player secured the offensive rebound, spun around, executed a pump fake, and successfully made a two-point shot from four feet away over Raptors forward Chris Boucher.

The Hornets’ first-round pick entered the game midway through the first quarter, playing 16 minutes. In just his second game of the young season, Salaün recorded three points, three rebounds, three assists, and one steal, shooting 1-for-3 from the field and 1-for-2 from the free-throw line.

Charlotte started the game strong, finishing the first quarter with a score of 30-16 and establishing a lead of 23 points at one stage. However, the Raptors after a 43-point second quarter fought back and eventually took the lead midway through the third quarter. The Hornets regained control at the end of the third quarter after a 28-18 run and never trailed during the fourth, securing their second win of the season with a final score of 138-133.

The Hornets received substantial contributions from Salaün and the bench, which outscored Toronto’s bench 71-30, while adding 15 assists and six steals.

“Their contribution was huge. We needed every one of those buckets, and we needed every one of those stops that those guys helped us get,” said Hornets head coach Charles Lee. “I’m really proud of our bench, and that’s why I have so much confidence in the depth of this team.”

Charlotte will face an early challenge with two consecutive games at home against the defending champion Boston Celtics on November 1st and 2nd.

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