February 12, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Raptors guard John Lucas III (5) goes to pass as Denver Nuggets center Timofey Mozgov (25) defends during the second half at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto defeated Denver 109-108. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Ty Lawson had a game-high 29 points and 9 assists for the Nuggets (33-20), who were playing without Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Andre Iguodala.

The Raptors (20-32) have now won three straight games and four of six in the Rudy Gay era to pull within six games of the Milwaukee Bucks for the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference.

The game was back-and-forth for the most part, with the Raptors maintaining a modest lead all the way through the third quarter and much of the fourth.

The fourth quarter consisted mainly of the Nuggets (read: Ty Lawson) getting pretty much anything on offense, interleaved with the Raptors (read: John Lucas) getting rather lucky from three-point range. Eventually, two free throws from Anthony Randolph put the Nuggets up one. Some sloppy play from the Raps was offset by great work on the offensive glass, leading to key second-chance points in the fourth. The last came after a missed Alan Anderson jumper that, had Denver got the rebound, would’ve given them the ball with the lead under 24 seconds. Instead, the Raps were able to set up an offense and run that already-familiar Rudy Gay isolation play on the baseline. Gay, cool as a cucumber, drained the jumper with five seconds left. Lawson missed a running jumper at the other end, sealing the victory for Toronto

Player Grades

Kyle Lowry: Got a double-double and was active on defense in the fourth quarter when the game was slipping away. I liked his attitude. Grade: A-

Rudy Gay: Was in foul trouble throughout the game which limited him to just 25 minutes and 17 points. He struggled on both ends of the floor in the fourth, but he calmly stroked the game-winning jumper like it was nothing. My question is, why can’t he focus like that for the rest of the game? Grade: B+

DeMar DeRozan: Had to carry the scoring load with Gay in foul trouble and did get 22 points, but missed 10 shots — mostly off-balance two’s as usual. Grade: B

Amir Johnson: Not too much of a factor but he was efficient and reliable as usual. Grade: B+

Jonas Valanciunas: Was a physical force, and that’s enough for a B. Grade: B

Andrea Bargnani: Non-factor, but non-toxic. Grade: C+

Alan Anderson: 4-of-7 shooting? That kind of efficiency is unheard of! Joking aside, he got 10 points in the fourth when it counted. Grade: A-

Landry Fields: Stat line says he did all right. I say B. Grade: B

Terrence Ross: Hit a three. Grade: B

John Lucas III: Carried the limping Raps through the fourth quarter doing what he does best–threes on threes on threes. The one-trick pony has hit 9-0f-11 from downtown in the past two games. Grade: A

The Raptors play tomorrow at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks.

Casey Sherman is a staff writer for Raptors Rapture. “Like” Raptors Rapture on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @RaptorsRapture for all the latest news and updates about the best damn NBA team from Canada.

Key #1

Make your shots from distance. The Nuggets allow more 3-ball attempts than any other team, so the opportunities will be there for Kyle Lowry, Rudy Gay, and possibly Terrence Ross and Andrea Bargnani (if he’s healthy enough to dress) to light up the scoreboard. If DeMar DeRozan can bury a few long shots, we have a serious chance to win.

Key #2

Keep the score down, somehow. The Nuggets have only played one game in their past 14 in which they have failed to score 100 points; not surprisingly with that kind of powerful offense, they have lost but 3 times in that stretch. Four of the Nuggets’ starting five average more than a dozen points per game, and their fifth starter, centre Kosta Koufos, gets a few buckets, sets picks, grabs rebounds and blocks shots. Other than that, he’s worthless.

There’s no magic here. Close out on shooters, box out on the boards – otherwise, this game might be over early.

Key #3

Don’t let this game turn into a track meet. The Nuggets’ point guard, Ty Lawson, might be the fastest man in the NBA. Kyle Lowry will need all his wiles to slow him down. High scorer Danilo Gallinari, veteran Andre Iguodala, Faried – all of them are happy to get out there and scoot. The Raps must crash the offensive boards.

Feb 9, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Denver Nuggets small forward Kenneth Faried (35) collides with Cleveland Cavaliers small forward Luke Walton (4) in the second quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

If there’s a fourth key, it’s this: keep their second unit from beating us. The Nuggets’ backup point guard is Andre Miller, who could start for at least half the teams in the league. John Lucas will need to be at his best. Landry Fields could loom large.

You don’t need any reminding that the Raps are in tough against the Nuggets. Let’s hope it’s raining 3s tonight, so the good guys can come away with a 105-102 victory.

Brian Boake is a co-editor for Raptors Rapture. “Like” Raptors Rapture on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @RaptorsRapture for all the latest news and updates about the best damn NBA team from Canada.