A GOOD TIME TO WIN
Raptors fight off Denver for a valuable victory before taking on Celtics and Cavaliers
In basketball, it’s never a must-win unless it’s the playoffs and a team is facing elimination.
But this was one of those must-have wins as the Raptors look at the fast-charging Celtics in the East and a schedule that sees Toronto play Boston twice in a five-night span.
And sandwiched in between is a date back in Cleveland with LeBron James and the Cavs.
A loss Wednesday to visiting Denver could have been devastating for a Toronto team that had suffered three defeats in its past five tips.
When Toronto needed to step up, it did. The Raptors held off a very well-coached and hard-working Nuggets team, 114-110.
DeRozan and Kyle Lowry combined for 16 of Toronto’s 16 assists.
Toronto’s bench, in particular Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet, was very aggressive, getting into the paint and finishing at the rim with forceful drives.
The game was fast paced, capped off by a near fourpoint play by VanVleet with 5:07 to play.
Despite his missed free throw, Toronto led 103-96.
Kyle Lowry was re-inserted for C.J. Miles.
Poeltl’s defence and ability to score second-chance points and Siakam’s activity, all contributed to the Raptors’ effort.
Kitchener native Jamal Murray drilled a three-ball with the shot clock about to expire.
With 2:59 left, Toronto was leading 107-99.
Better shot contests, rebounding, closing out, being much more engaged, just about everything a team needs to play solid defence in the third quarter, by far Toronto’s best defensive period of the evening.
About the only negative of the night was the sight of Lowry leaving the court for the locker room.
As well as Toronto was playing, credit Denver in how it battled and competed, responding to runs and taking the lead late when Devin Harris buried his mid-range jumper with 10 seconds remaining.
Nikola Jokic and Paul Millsap each reached the 20-point scoring plateau, the two combining to go 17 of 28 from the field.
After three quarters, Denver led 85-82.
Lowry was back on the bench when the fourth quarter began.
Denver began the period by going on a 5-0 run to take an eight-point lead.
In the fourth, the Raptors began to extend their defence.
The first quarter will be
remembered more for how it ended than how it started, 12 minutes of decent basketball featuring a lot of missed threes missed by the Nuggets and more points scored by the Raptors from distance than from the field.
The play, though, that stood out was produced by Delon Wright.
Denver had just scored a basket and retreated inside its half of centre court, allowing Wright to heave a shot that banked in just as the buzzer sounded.
It was Toronto’s fifth made three of the quarter, but one that should have been prevented had Denver provided some kind of shot contest or at least forced Wright to put the ball on the floor.
In normal circumstances, shots from 50 feet don’t often fall, but this heave did and the Wright basket got the crowd excited.
Earlier in the period, Siakam had his leg rolled up on in an awkward sequence.
He did get back to his feet following a few anxious minutes and Siakam remained in the game. The difference was three-point shooting, the Raptors making their looks, the Nuggets missing.
Denver played Tuesday night in Philadelphia, where the Nuggets got off to a quick start, only to see their defence go south as the host Sixers, who have been rolling and climbing the Eastern standings, won going away.
Denver’s long road trip ends later this week in Oklahoma City. The Nuggets will spend a few days in Toronto.
Toronto was 7-of-14 from beyond the arc before Siakam was fouled on a made basket.
He completed the threepoint play.
Trey Lyles would then bury his second consecutive threeball.
Fred VanVleet was on the floor with the team’s starters, an extra ball handler who could initiate the offence.
Norman Powell replaced VanVleet with 3:05 remaining in the first half with Denver leading, 54-49.
Powell became the sixth reserve to see the floor in the opening half.
Jokic was a load for the Raptors, the talented big producing a double-double in 19 minutes, making seven of 13 shots to score 17 points and hauling down 10 rebounds.