Sakmann News, Entertainment and Sports
SNES Blog Network
With just over two minutes left to play in the second quarter, Ochai Agbaji hit a shot to put the Toronto Raptors up 22 points over the defending champion Denver […]
With just over two minutes left to play in the second quarter, Ochai Agbaji hit a shot to put the Toronto Raptors up 22 points over the defending champion Denver Nuggets in a stunning turn of events. Even without key players Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley, the Raptors had one of the best teams in the NBA on the ropes with a commanding 66-44 lead.
But on Military Appreciation Night at Ball Arena, the Nuggets wouldn’t go down without a fight.
The Nuggets closed the quarter on a 7-2 run, fueled by three assists from Nikola Jokic and five points from Jamal Murray, but Denver still trailed 68-51 at halftime, a 17-point deficit.
Denver opened the second half with a defensive stop at a Jokic three-pointer, cutting the Raptors’ lead to 14 points and getting the crowd back in the game. For every shot the Nuggets hit for the next 10 minutes, Kelly Olynyk and Gradey Dick appeared to be the answer, with the duo combining for 18 points in the period.
Still down 14 with 2:56 to play, Mike Malone’s Nuggets flipped the switch. Jokic got a close bucket, a steal, and an assist on a Murray three-pointer in a matter of 18 seconds, cutting the Raptors lead to 9 points with 2:25 to play in the third quarter.
Another Jokic steal followed by a flurry of misses and self-rebounds by the two-time MVP at the rim finally ended in a made tip shot, shrinking Toronto’s lead even further. The Raptors scored the next two baskets, but the Nuggets once again finished a quarter on a strong run: 7-0 on two Reggie Jackson baskets including a three-pointer and a pair of Jokic free throws.
98-93 Toronto entering the fourth quarter: but all the momentum was in Denver’s favor.
Just over five minutes in to the fourth quarter, a Murray floater gave the Nuggets a 108-107 lead. It was already Murray’s fourth basket of the quarter, and the guard also assisted on a huge Peyton Watson three as well as a Zeke Nnaji dunk.
From this point on, the Nuggets never relinquished the lead. With the same starting five that won the 2023 NBA Finals on the same court nine months ago, Denver closed out the game with a series of points in the paint, three-point shots, and solid defense. The Nuggets ultimately won 125-19.
Jokic had a classic night with 35 points, 17 rebounds, 12 assists, 2 blocks, and a whopping 6 steals, with a +13 court rating. The Nuggets also played much better when Murray (+15) was on the court, behind his 26 points (11-19 FG), 12 assists, and 5 rebounds. Gordon and Porter Jr. both had 19 points, but Gordon did it on extremely efficient 8-9 FG shooting.
R.J. Barrett had a team-high 26 points for the Raptors, with center Kelly Olynyk right behind him at 24 points. Toronto shot a solid 50.5% from the floor, but just couldn’t keep up with Denver’s 54.7% clip.
The Nuggets improve to 45-20 with the win including 27-6 at Ball Arena, and sit just 0.5 games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for the best record in the Western Conference with just over a month left to play in the regular season.
Header Photo Credit: Billy Sakmann/SNESBlogs.net
Be sure to follow Sak Sports Blog on Twitter or on Facebook for more NBA and NFL updates!
Sakmann News, Entertainment and Sports 