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At the end of their game against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday, the Raptors outscored Charlotte in three of the four quarters — even though they did not look good in the game’s opening three periods.

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At the end of the game, the Raptors came away with a win, in a season when few victories have been manufactured so far.

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Granted, no style points are awarded and no team ever will feel sympathy for a depleted opponent, given the very cut-throat nature of the NBA.

And while a win is a win, there was something odious attached to Toronto’s 114-99 victory over the visiting Hornets, with a date against the reigning champion Denver Nuggets on tap Wednesday night.

The Raptors trailed by eight after the game’s opening 12 minutes and committed as many turnovers (seven) as they made shots. Toronto trailed at halftime and then stared at a two-point deficit heading into the final quarter.

Slow starts have characterized this edition of the Raptors and spilled into the final period before they found their footing.

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Scottie Barnes was the lone starter on the floor with a group featuring Malachi Flynn, Chris Boucher, Precious Achiuwa and Gary Trent Jr.

Following a put-back dunk by Achiuwa, the Raptors led 95-87 to cap off a 16-6 run. Game over.

Trent Jr. emerged as the first reserve off the bench. The 34 minutes and 45 seconds he played represented the second-highest total for the swingman this season.

The 22 points he netted represented a season high, as were the 10 rebounds and game-high plus-25 rating. It was Trent Jr. at his best.

A tighter rotation has proven to be the Raptors’ best option, even though it does stunt Gradey Dick’s development. Once again, the rookie had the dreaded DNP-CD attached to his name in the boxscore.

Every starter except Jakob Poeltl played in excess of 32 minutes, with Barnes leading the way by playing close to 40 minutes.

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Barnes’ 17 rebounds would stick out, but perspective is required: In the fourth quarter, he hauled down six boards. As a team, the Hornets produced six rebounds, which underscored Charlotte’s undermanned roster and how the visitors slowly began to lose their legs as the evening unfolded.

When a player such as Nick Richards is making only his sixth start of the season, or when a player such as Bryce McGowens is thrust into the starting lineup despite averaging only 5.0 points, a Raptors win was expected.

Under Nick Nurse, Toronto’s starters were over-extended when no viable options were available coming off the bench.

The game Monday provided that moment of desperation, fearing utter humiliation if a win wasn’t engineered, regardless of the circumstances.

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The jury is still out on whether the Raptors’ pass-happy approach under rookie head coach Darko Rajakovic is sustainable, let alone successful. While the Raptors did make 51.2% of their shots, they also committed 19 turnovers that led to 23 Charlotte points.

Leaning more on Barnes seems the most obvious way moving forward, but it helps when Trent Jr. is a presence.

Pascal Siakam needed 16 attempts to produce a game-high 27 points, while adding a game-high eight assists as he flirted with a triple-double.

OG Anunoby’s off night (2-for-10 shooting, two turnovers) was more than offset by Trent Jr.’s performance.

A much more difficult task awaits Wednesday.

Under head coach Michael Malone, the reigning champions — despite losing some key bench players to free agency — play a style of basketball that is the envy of all teams.

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At home to Dallas on Monday, the Nuggets were able to sit their starters in the fourth quarter en route to a 130-104 win over the Mavs.

Health has been a topic of discussion in the Mile High City with Canadian Jamal Murray missing 15 games because of hamstring and ankle issues. Against Dallas, he buried all four of his looks from distance.

Malone has turned Aaron Gordon into a legitimate third option. The forward tied his season high by scoring 21 points against Dallas.

Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic added eight points, nine rebounds and seven assists in the win, which would see Denver’s bench outscore the Mavs’ second unit by a 62-34 margin.

The Raptors were fortunate to overcome a wretched start Monday because Charlotte’s roster was ill-equipped to play a complete 48-minute game. A poor start against the defending champs and the concern level surrounding the Raptors only will intensify.

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Doling out extended minutes to the likes of Barnes and Siakam will only go so far when the stated goal of this season was development and improvement.

The Raptors aren’t fun to watch and, when games such as the one on Monday are allowed to play out, they quickly become unwatchable.

The team’s head hoops honcho, Masai Ujiri, spoke of the joyless side he had to oversee last season.

Heading into the game Wednesday, not much has changed despite the coaching change, other than the emergence of Barnes.

A game against the Nuggets will tell a lot about this Raptors unit as Toronto wraps up its four-game hom estand having split its two-game set versus the Atlanta Hawks and salvaging a win against an inferior Hornets team.

At 11-15 going into the Denver tip, the Raptors are what their record says they are, to borrow a quote made famous by Bill Parcells.

What they can be is an open question.

Following the near-debacle on Monday, more questions were raised.

Against a team such as the Nuggets, the Raptors can go a long way in silencing the critics, or they can validate the assertion that they are simply a bad team.

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