Previewing the five most crucial Toronto Raptors’ games of December

Dec.- 16 Toronto Raptors at Denver Nuggets

Key matchup: Raptors’ big three against Nuggets’ big three

In the age of the ‘Big Three,’ the Denver Nuggets have begun to show a triple-headed threat of their own in Jamal Murray, Gary Harris and potential MVP candidate in the future, Nikola Jokic.

All three of the Nuggets’ top players are under the age of 24, signaling not just a bright future for the team, but also a lack of tangible game experience, something that has affected the Nuggets often.

Shown last year when they played a win-or-go-home final game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in which Jimmy Butler took over, the Nuggets are still lacking maturity.

Experience in big games, even up to the NBA Finals level, is something that is in large supply for the Raptors. Whether it is Leonard who is a former Finals MVP or Lowry who has been a part of multiple playoff runs with the franchise, maturity is not lacking.

Countering the Nuggets’ trio of stars is the Raptors’ iteration in Lowry, Leonard and a mixture of Siakam, Serge Ibaka or Jonas Valanciunas on any given night. Therein lies a partial advantage for the visitors in the mid-December matchup.

Though their top three players rotate night-to-night, the Raptors are not reliant on any one player to carry the load, rather they rely on depth. As a team, the Raptors have eight players that averaged over nine points per game, up from six for the Nuggets.

Each of the Nuggets’ top three players averages double-digit scoring, with Harris at the apex with 17.3 points per game.

Allowing Valanciunas to oppose Jokic will the pair of guards are locked down by Lowry and Leonard will allow the Raptors to mitigate the opposing big three, forcing the Nuggets to rely on the likes of the returning Will Barton, Paul Millsap, and reserves.