When the Nuggets are right, they play a beautiful game. They cut to the hoop, make deft passes, play tenacious defense, and hit the open shot.
They pulverize opponents at Ball Arena, running them into the ground.
These Nuggets aren’t those Nuggets. Certainly not yet.
But they gutted out a big win Monday night. Trailing Toronto almost the entire game, Denver mounted a furious rally to win, 121-119.
At the buzzer, R.J. Barrett threw up a 26-foot prayer from the left wing with Michael Westbrook draped all over him. Barrett’s potential game-winning 3-pointer spun around the rim and came out.
Nikola Jokic — who else? — carried the Nuggets like a freight train, scoring 28 points, dishing out 14 assists and grabbing 14 rebounds for another triple-double.
Julian Strawther’s driving fastbreak layup with 1 minute, 9 seconds left gave the Nuggets a 120-119 lead. He also hit one of two free throws in the final minute.
The play that sparked the rally was a 24-foot baseline 3-pointer by Christian Braun off an assist by Michael Porter Jr. The crowd erupted as Denver claimed a 118-117 lead.
With point guard Jamal Murray still out of the lineup, and power forward Aaron Gordon injuring his calf early in the game, Denver had to dig deep and struggled all night to find its rhythm.
Gordon, who entered the game with right calf inflammation, left the game in the first quarter after playing just four minutes. He left the game with a calf strain after getting called for charging. He grabbed his leg but walked to the locker room without assistance. He did not return.
Murray, in concussion protocol, missed his second straight game.
In the third quarter, Jokic kept the Nuggets in the game when the Raptors started to pull away. Jokic scored 11 points, dished out three assists and snared seven rebounds and Denver stayed within with five points, 93-88.
It was Denver’s second comeback win over the Raptors this season. In the season’s third game, the Nuggets rallied for a 127-125 overtime win in Toronto. Led by Murray, the Nuggets put together a 13-3 run in the last 2:10 to send the game into OT.
Gradey Dick led the Raptors with 26 points Monday night.
The Nuggets started the game sloppy and discombobulated. After taking a quick 11-5 lead in which Jokic dished out three assists and finished a drive with a definitive dunk, the Nuggets lost their momentary mojo. They committed seven turnovers in less than eight minutes to find themselves down 29-22 with 3:51 left in the quarter.
By the end of the first, Toronto led 37-34, converting eight Nuggets turnovers into 12 points.
At the end of the first half, the Raptors led 64-59, converting 12 turnovers into 16 points. Porter scored 12 points, hitting 3 of 6 3-pointers to keep Denver close.
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