OG Anunoby dropped a career-high 32 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Toronto Raptors fell 133-118 to the Denver Nuggets. The loss was Toronto’s third in a row.
Sunday’s game against the second-place Denver Nuggets, played at altitude, was always going to be a tough one to win for the Toronto Raptors. And that would’ve been the case with a healthy roster, but as they’ve had to do for most of the 2019-20 season, Nick Nurse’s men went to battle with a depleted, shorthanded roster.
Toronto was without both Serge Ibaka and Fred VanVleet, and Marc Gasol remains out with a wonky hamstring.
The plethora of injuries left Toronto without any true centers, meaning Rondae Hollis-Jefferson got the start against *clears throat* Nikola Jokic – with all due respect to R-H-J, his commendable heart and unwavering work ethic, this was never going to end well.
The Raptors put up a valiant effort over 48 minutes, on a night where Pascal Siakam learned more than a few lessons the hard way, but ultimately, the Nuggets pulled away in the fourth quarter. Denver finished the game at 56 percent, including 50 percent from beyond the arc.
For the 12th time in 2019-20, Jokic finished with a triple-double (23-18-11). Without Gasol or Ibaka, Toronto simply had no answer for the crafty Serbian. Jokic’s playmaking led the Nuggets to finish with 38 assists on 47 made field goals.
Meanwhile, the Raptors let a career-best performance from OG Anunoby go to waste. Anunoby finished Sunday’s loss with 32 points, seven rebounds and a jaw-dropping seven steals. Whatever seat the youngster sat in on the flight out, I suggest he take the same seat on future flights. If Anunoby can conjure up this type of magic in the postseason, Toronto is going to be an extremely difficult team to contend with.