Tonight: Denver Nuggets at Toronto Raptors

AIR CANADA CENTRE TIPOFF: 7:30 p.m. TV: Sportsnet One RADIO: TSN 1050 PROBABLE STARTERS Denver: Emmanuel Mudiay, Will Barton, Danilo Gallinari, Nikola Jokic, Jusuf Nurkic

Toronto: Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, DeMarre Carroll, Pascal Siakam, Jonas Valanciunas KEY MATCHUP Valanciunas/Jokic Two games into their respective seasons, both big men are off to exceptional starts. Valanciunas is averaging 21 points and 14 rebounds, while Jokic is averaging 14 points and 12 rebounds in the early days of the season. Valanciunas’s speed and comfort zone will be tested, as Jokic has no problem putting up threepointers (making them is another story; he’s 2-7 from deep). Jokic had 27 points and 14 rebounds against the Raptors on Feb. 1 in Denver, where the Nuggets snapped the Raptors’ 11-game win streak. NEED TO KNOW Monday marks the first time that Nuggets rookie Jamal Murray will play in Toronto. The Kitchener product was the seventh overall pick in June’s NBA draft. . . . The Raptors lost both games to the Nuggets last year. They last beat them on Dec. 28, 2014, 116-102. . . . DeRozan joined Russell Westbrook (2015, 2016), Anthony Davis (2016), James Harden (2012), Carmelo Anthony (2009) and Tracy McGrady (2007) as the only players in the last 10 years to open their seasons with a 40- and 30-point performance. UP NEXT Wednesday at Washington, 7 p.m. Chris O’Leary