Who says the East’s top team doesn’t stack up with the best in the West?
The Toronto Raptors are coming off arguably their most impressive outing of the season – a 110-98 win against the Los Angeles Clippers. What started as a tight game morphed into a laugher as the Raptors turned in a dominant fourth quarter, pushing their record to 23-7.
There is no time to savour the victory, as Toronto is right back at it tonight in Denver against the Nuggets. When these teams met on Dec. 8 at the Air Canada Centre, the Raptors walked away with a 112-107 overtime win. If the previous matchup is any indication of what’s in store tonight, it should be an entertaining duel.
Watch the action live at 9:00 p.m. ET on Sportsnet or listen on Sportsnet 590 The FAN.
Major Storyline 1: Dictate pace. A back-to-back stretch out West takes a toll on any Eastern Conference team, but when the second leg is played in Denver’s high altitude, the task becomes even more daunting. Couple this with the Nuggets’ rapid style of offence, and fatigue is a very realistic cause for concern. Brian Shaw’s team averages the third most field goal attempts in the league, so the Raptors will try to slow down the tempo in order to catch their breath.
Major Storyline 2: Three-point specialists? The Nuggets offer a bit of a paradox when it comes to three-point shooting. The team fires up 25 long balls per night, but connects on only 31.9 percent of those shots. The latter statistic has them ranked 29th in the NBA behind only the abysmal Philadelphia 76ers. J.J. Redick of the Clippers hit five threes on his own on Saturday afternoon, but the Nuggets do not have a shooter of that calibre in their lineup. The Raptors may be wise to allow their opponents to shoot their way out of the game tonight.
Major Storyline 3: Get on the boards. Denver knows how to punish opposing teams on the glass, leading the association in offensive rebounds with 13 per contest. Overall, the Nuggets grab the third most boards, behind only Portland (who the Raptors will see on Tuesday) and Oklahoma City. Jonas Valanciunas corralled 12 rebounds in the last game between these teams, and will need to replicate that performance this evening.
Marquee Player to Watch, Toronto: Terrence Ross. Ross struggled mightily out of the gate against the Clippers, but that didn’t deter the former slam dunk champion from continuing to take shots. While his long-range game was not working out, the University of Washington product was able to score off the dribble. Ross has shown the diversity he is capable of, but will need to use his athleticism in order to get to the free-throw line more frequently. Those opportunities should present themselves against a Nuggets team that has three players in the top 20 in terms of personal fouls per game.
Marquee Player to Watch, Denver: Kenneth Faried. “The Manimal’s” numbers are down across the board this season, which comes as a surprise considering his outstanding performance at the FIBA World Cup over the summer. But Faried appears to have turned the corner after registering a line of 20 points and 14 rebounds against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, and an astonishing 26 points and 25 rebounds on Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Role Player Who Will Make a Difference, Toronto: Greivis Vasquez. After an ugly first half, the Venezuelan point guard was one of the key players for the Raptors down the stretch on Saturday, delivering eight points and two assists in the pivotal fourth quarter. Inconsistency has plagued Vasquez all season, so it will be interesting to see if he can string together two productive outings in a row.
Role Player Who Will Make a Difference, Denver: Jusuf Nurkic. This will be the Raptors’ first look at Nurkic as he was not in the lineup on Dec. 8. The 20-year-old rookie will not wow you with his stats, but he provides solid minutes off the bench. Nurkic scored eight points to go along with eight rebounds in Friday’s clash with the Timberwolves.
Season series vs. Nuggets: Raptors lead 1-0
Raptors Stats Leaders:
Points: Kyle Lowry (20.2)
Rebounds: Jonas Valanciunas (9.0)
Assists: Kyle Lowry (7.6)
Nuggets Stats Leaders:
Points: Ty Lawson (15.8)
Rebounds: Timofey Mozgov (8.2)
Assists: Ty Lawson (10.4)
Verdict: Coming off an impressive win, this matchup has a bit of a trap-game feel to it. This will not be an easy one for the Raptors by any means, but they will likely be able to earn a victory in what should turn out to be a tight ball game. It’s definitely time to stop doubting this Toronto squad.