Bridges scores 35 points as Hornets overcome 17-point deficit to beat Raptors 118-111 in OT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Miles Bridges scored 10 of his 35 points in overtime and the Charlotte Hornets overcame a 17-point first half deficit to beat Toronto 118-111 on Saturday night, ending the Raptors' nine-game winning streak.

Rookie Kon Knueppel had 20 points, including a leaning 3-pointer from the corner to tie the game with 10 seconds left in regulation and a key pass to set up a Bridges dunk in OT to ice the victory for Charlotte, which won on consecutive nights for its first winning streak of the season.

Collin Sexton came off the bench to score 18 points and handled most of the point guard duties after LaMelo Ball went to the bench early in the fourth quarter for what coach Charles Lee said was a “minutes restriction” while playing on back-to-back nights.

Scottie Barnes had 30 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Raptors, whose last loss came on Nov. 8 against Philadelphia. Brandon Ingram and Immanuel Quickley each scored 22 points for Toronto.

Bridges was huge for the Hornets in a game in which the team's other top scorers — Ball and Brandon Miller — struggled and didn't play key minutes in the fourth and overtime. Bridges finished 13 of 23 from the field and carried the team in the overtime period scoring 10 of Charlotte's 14 points.

Toronto built a 26-9 lead in the first half, but Charlotte pulled into a tie with one minute remaining when Sion James scored on an offensive rebound.

In a frantic final few seconds of regulation, Knueppel got the ball in the corner and, with a defender draped over him, hit a leaning 3 to tie the game, causing the Spectrum to erupt in screams.

Toronto initially took the lead in overtime, but then it was all Bridges.

He finished 4 of 4 from the field in the extra period, including a huge 3-pointer to make it a two-possession game.

Brandon Miller, who had 27 points in Charlotte's win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night, managed just seven points on 1-of-13 shooting. Ball was 6 of 16 and finished with 14 points. Even as fans screamed at Lee to put Ball back in the game in the fourth quarter, he kept the star on the bench.

Toronto: At Knicks on Sunday night.

Charlotte: At Nets on Monday night.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

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Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl shoots over Charlotte Hornets center Ryan Kalkbrenner during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Charlotte Hornets center Ryan Kalkbrenner shoots over Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball collides with Toronto Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Toronto Raptors forward Collin Murray-Boyles is found by Charlotte Hornets guard Sion James during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Charlotte Hornets guard Sion James celebrates after scoring against the Toronto Raptors during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A crack in a damaged chemical tank in Southern California has eliminated the risk of a catastrophic explosion but it's still not safe enough for the remaining 16,000 residents living closest to the aerospace plant to go home, officials said Tuesday.

Crews were spraying water to keep cooling the tank that overheated last week, prompting the evacuation of 50,000 people in the Orange County city of Garden Grove. Most returned home after a crack formed over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, relieving pressure inside.

The evacuation zone remained the same on Tuesday morning, said Orange County Fire Capt. Brian Yau.

Crews worked overnight to ensure two other nearby tanks were neutralized and would not be affected by the compromised tank, he said, adding that material from one of these two tanks was transferred to another that has a neutralizing agent.

“They are moving material over to ensure that all threats have been eliminated,” Yau said.

Those threats include the risk of a very small explosion and potential spill, officials said.

Exposure to methyl methacrylate — a highly flammable chemical used to make plastics — can cause serious respiratory problems, neurological problems and irritation to the skin, eyes and throat, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency. The tank at the GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems plant contains 6,000 to 7,000 gallons (22,700 to 26,500 liters) of the chemical.

The interior cooled to 93 degrees F (33.9 degrees C), the county's fire division chief Craig Covey said Monday, down from 100 degrees (37.7 degrees C) a day earlier. The company said its technical specialists and the county fire authority have removed insulation from the tank to help cool it.

Health officials sought to reassure people who are returning to homes near the plant.

“There was no contamination. There were no fumes,” Orange County Health Director Regina Chinsio-Kwong said at Monday's news conference. “There was not a leak. So it should be, you should feel comfortable going home even if you’re across the street from that new zone line.”

The South Coast Air Quality Management District will monitor the air for several months and the EPA will be checking sewer and storm drains for spills, Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen said.

Garden Grove Unified School District said last week it was shutting a dozen schools through what was supposed to be the last day of the school year on Wednesday but later said only three would remain closed Tuesday. It was unclear if they would reopen before the school year ends this week.

At a parking lot at a large park in Fountain Valley, just southwest of Garden Grove, people sought refuge in an ad hoc shelter there or pitched tents outside. Other people gathered in the park to enjoy Memorial Day.

Kim Yen, a retiree who was still evacuated from her home two blocks from the plant, welcomed news that the worst was not expected.

“I am happy and many of us are happy,” she said Monday.

She said she's ready to go back but wants to be sure it’s safe first. She's also been worrying about the emergency workers, who she called “our heroes.”

As the tank heated up, the chemical converted from liquid to gas, ramping up the pressure and explosion risk, said Andrew Whelton, a Purdue University engineering professor who has studied environmental contamination. Some of the methyl methacrylate may already have hardened into a stable plastic similar to plexiglass, reducing the danger, he said.

The tank could eventually cool enough for crews to safely stabilize and drain the remaining material without triggering a spark or ignition, Whelton said.

However, he said there is still a risk of an explosion while the chemical remains hot and reactive. Temperatures need to fall closer to 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit (15.6 to 21.1 degrees C) before conditions are considered significantly safer, he said.

GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems makes cockpit windows, canopies and windshields for military and commercial aircraft. It employs about 16,000 people across 32 manufacturing sites in 12 countries, according to the company website.

“We apologize for the ongoing disruption this incident is causing and our priority remains its safe resolution, so that residents can return to their homes as quickly as possible,” the company said.

GKN Aerospace agreed in 2025 to pay state regulators more than $900,000 to settle violations involving recordkeeping, permitting issues and nitrogen oxide emissions, according to a report on the South Coast Air Quality Management District website.

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This story has been corrected to attribute a quote to TJ McGovern, interim fire chief of the Orange County Fire Authority, not to division chief Craig Covey.

Willingham reported from Boston. Contributing were Associated Press journalists Jamie Stengle in Dallas; Ethan Swope in Garden Grove, California; and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles.

Two evacuees sit in their pickup truck at a gas station within the evacuation zone in Stanton, Calif., Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

An aerial view shows a police checkpoint enforcing a road closure at the evacuation zone boundary in Anaheim, Calif., Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Jan De Jonge and fiancé Sher Stuckman set up a tent with their belonging and pet outside the Elks Lodge in Garden Grove, Calif., on Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

An evacuation map is displayed at the incident command post at the Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, Calif., on Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Water is sprayed on a damaged tank at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove, Calif., on Sunday, May 24, 2026, after the tank containing a chemical used to make plastic parts overheated Thursday. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

People walk outside Freedom Hall, an evacuation center in Fountain Valley, Calif., on Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

An American Red Cross volunteer walks outside Freedom Hall, an evacuation center in Fountain Valley, Calif.,on Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

People tend to their pets outside Freedom Hall, an evacuation center in Fountain Valley, Calif., on Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)