The Toronto Raptors faced the Denver Nuggets in the midst of their five-game home-stand. After clinching back-to-back comeback wins against Golden State and Orlando, everyone was probably ready for a matchup that didn’t involve fingernail biting or a double-digit deficit. Especially when facing a shell of Denver’s regular lineup. Unfortunately, that’s not what anyone got. The Raptors spent much of the game trailing, were locked in a fourth-quarter stalemate, and despite every best effort, they fell
in their final matchup of the year.
The Nuggets have been hit by the injury bug hard this season, first losing Christian Braun on November 12 to an ankle injury, followed almost immediately by Aaron Gordon on November 21 after a hard fall that led to a hamstring strain. Next, Cam Johnson hyperextended his knee a week ago, resulting in a bone bruise that will keep him sidelined the next four to six weeks. Jokic was the most recent to go down, also hyperextending his left knee on Monday in what will keep him out likely until February.
Darko quipped before the game about wanting to face Denver with a sixth player so they could double Jokic and match up everywhere else, but the NBA “didn’t have an understanding for that request”. Not having to face four of the five starters is advantageous in some sense, but also a challenge as scouting and game plan can be a challenge when facing guys who have played as few as three or four games.
The guys who did check in for Denver made an effort, never giving in despite being outmatched and losing a sizeable lead. The tandem of Jamal Murray and Jonas Valanciunas forced the Raptors to adjust their defence accordingly. Murray drew double teams and full-court coverage and still managed to finish with 21-7-6. Valanciunas made an early exit with an apparent injury that forced him to limp off the court on his own weight. Despite this, he ended with 17-9-4 and the lack of his rebounding presence on the floor for the Nuggets appeared to be a game-changer. Peyton Watson led scoring for the Nuggets with 24-8.
Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes both used this as an opportunity to make their All-Star case after some lacklustre voting returns. Scottie had his second triple double of the season, finishing with 20-14-10. His motor on defence and passing IQ were crucial for the Raptors tonight. Ingram’s scoring was the biggest part of his night, showing the ability to isolate defenders and make difficult shots to give him 30-8-1. Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles continued to impress in this matchup as well, although it wasn’t necessarily reflected in the stat sheet as he only had 6-9-2 with 5 of those rebounds being offensive. It’s all the little things that he did and his defensive presence that impressed as he continues to carve out his role on the team.
On paper this looked like an easy win, but the shooting struggles that plagued Toronto throughout the game were their biggest enemy.
Brief game recap:
Denver went ahead early, benefitting from Jonas Valanciunas’ size in the paint and Jamal Murray’s otherworldly ability to make shots. The tandem worked well together to create a successful 2-man game. Defensive adjustments were the Raptors’ friend, running doubles and traps on Murray in an attempt to force the rest of the depleted Nuggets to create offence. Walter, Shead, and Murray-Boyles all checked in, but weren’t able to make much of an offensive difference. By the end of the first, they shifted to a full-court press and tried to deny Murray the ball entirely, but with only Barnes, Ingram, and Murray-Boyles managing to score, Denver managed a 9-point lead led mostly by Peyton Watson’s scoring.
Rookie CMB had some great pick-and-roll action early on that helped get the crowd back into the game. Immanuel Quickley got going in the second quarter, a welcome sight after struggling his last outing. After a made 3-pointer during a time stoppage, he seemed to find a bit of rhythm and sunk a pair of long range shots in succession, scoring a total of 12 in the frame. Barnes and Ingram chipped in as well. Denver got a lot of easy looks with good off-ball movement, cuts, and rolls to the basket. Toronto held for the last possession but couldn’t convert, leaving them trailing by the same margin.
The Raptors saw what they needed to and emerged from the locker room far more engaged and ready. CMB replaced Ochai in the lineup, and defensive engagement now seemed to pass the eye test, forcing turnovers and a shot clock violation. Despite his minutes restriction RJ was still able to chip in to the offence, sinking a 3-pointer and adding a few more points in the paint. The Raptors’ biggest challenge in the quarter seemed to be the whistle, with Denver getting into the bonus early and frequently heading to the line. The lead flip-flopped a few times before miscues by Toronto at the end of the quarter gave Denver a two-possession lead.
The Raptors seemed to continue to feed the narrative that they’re a team that likes the fourth quarter, coming out of the stoppage with immense energy. They closed the gap and re-built a lead, going possession for possession with the Nuggets. Herein lies the frustration with this season though, as they would work incredibly hard defensively, win the possession, miss a shot, and immediately allow an easy basket on the other end. This pattern kept them locked in a duel during the fourth quarter, neither team able to draw away. Scottie, Quickley, and CMB were leaving everything on the floor, trying to secure the win. Quickley dove on the court for a loose ball, Scottie drew an offensive foul, and then they played the foul and shoot game to try and at least force overtime. RJ had the shot but it was from a few feet beyond the 3-point line and the ball rimmed out. A pair of missed free-throws for Ingram made an incredible shot that had the arena rocking, but upon replay, the shot was a fraction of a second too late, sealing Toronto’s fate.
Final thoughts
In retrospect, despite how badly all of us probably wanted BI’s shot to be counted, in a game like this it probably shouldn’t have been down to the wire, and especially not a single possession. The fourth quarter offence struggled as a whole and the shooting woes throughout the game posed the biggest challenge for Toronto.
After the game Darko pointed out that for the bench to be 5-34 from the field and STILL be in the game is the biggest takeaway. Watching film and learning from the game will be all they can take away, ever finding the silver lining despite a frustrating situation.
Brandon Ingram’s first thought was that he needed to “cut his fingernails” since he thought the shot was going in too, but afterwards echoed the reality that this is a learning experience.
The Raptors will continue their home-stand Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks at 7:30 pm ET.
