5 Who balled and 2 who stalled in Raptors' gut-punch overtime loss to Nuggets

Everyone was all smiles before the game. Jamal Murray was playing in front of his hometown fans in Canada. Head coach Darko Rajakovic waxed on about his countryman Nikola Jokic. RJ Barrett was returning to the lineup after missing the start to the season.

For the Toronto Raptors, those smiles continued into the game. Against a foe they had no business beating the Raptors hung tough, shutting down every Denver player not named Nikola Jokic. Toronto was up a point after the first quarter, and then inexplicably extended the lead to eight points at halftime. The Raptors were playing loose and running the older Nuggets up-and-down the court.

Toronto was up 10 points with just over two minutes to go when the greatest player in the world took over. He and Murray began working the two-man game that won them a title and stormed back. The Raptors committed senseless turnovers and missed three free-throws in the final two minutes, and Jamal Murray tied the game on an insane up-and-under reverse layup with one second to go to send the game to overtime and, ultimately, a Denver win.

The loss was a gut-punch to the Raptors, but it's also hard to eclipse the joy this team was exuding as they played. There is something to this group, even if they didn't have the horses to stop an experienced championship team.

Who balled out against the Nuggets, and who ultimately stalled out? Let's look at the individual performances that stood out from an exciting game.

Ochai Agbaji balled out

We'll get to the big names in just a moment, but we are going to begin by highlighting the play of Ochai Agbaji, who is experiencing a career renaissance right before the eyes of the Toronto Raptors front office. He was a disaster last season and in Summer League, but has turned things around and become a critical 3-and-D wing for the Raptors.

Bumped from the starting lineup by the return of Barrett, Agbaji was no less effective and active in playing 29 minutes off the bench. He shot 2-for-5 from 3-point range and was constantly running the court in transition and cutting in the halfcourt. He and Scottie Barnes connected on a beautiful play where Barnes drove into the top of the key, drawing the attention of multiple Denver defenders. Agbaji took off cutting the baseline, got a no-look pass from Barnes, and slammed the ball home over a helpless Jokic.

This version of Ochai Agbaji is a player the Raptors desperately need now and going forward.