GAME CENTRE

Streak at an end as Denver wins clash of conference leaders

The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic played the role of Raptors killer in a battle of NBA conference leaders that went right down to the wire. Denver’s 106-103 victory at Scotiabank Arena snapped an eight-game win streak by league-leading Toronto. Jokic racked up 23 points, 11 rebounds and 15 assists for his second triple-double of the season. He drew a pair of fouls off Serge Ibaka and Kawhi Leonard in the dying seconds of the game, then made three of four free throws for the margin of victory. The Raptors had the ball with 5.6 seconds left, but Kyle Lowry missed a three on the final possession.

After a back-and-forth first half that saw the lead change seven times, the Nuggets held court in the second but struggled to put the game away thanks to Toronto’s defence. The Raptors took their first lead of the second half with about 54 seconds to play, but couldn’t steal a victory despite a couple of game-tying baskets from Leonard, who finished with a team-high 27 points.

Back in action: Lowry returned after sitting out Saturday night’s road win over the Cleveland Cavaliers with a sore back. Like many of his teammates, he struggled with his shot early on, held scoreless in the first half. Lowry finished the night with five points, three rebounds and 11 assists. Cheers to jeers: Kitchener’s Jamal Murray received a warm welcome from the crowd when he was announced as part of the Nuggets’ starting lineup. The love-in had limits, though. Midway through the fourth quarter, with 18 points in the bank and the Nuggets up by one, the Canadian was jeered loudly. He finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.

Taking a hit: Denver shooting guard Gary Harris left midway through the second quarter

with a right hip injury and did not return.

Three-point pray: Toronto shot just 13.6 per cent from beyond the arc in the first half, compared to Denver’s 37.5 per cent. Serge Ibaka, Danny Green and C.J. Miles were the only Raptors to make threes in the first half. Leonard and Lowry went a combined 0-for-7. Eight threes in the second half, on 19 attempts, helped spur the Raptors’ late run. Second unit, second chances: Neither one worked out well for the Raptors. Their bench was outscored 38-33, led by Delon Wright’s nine points. The home team trailed by a much wider margin when it came to secondchance points: 23-2.

Up next: Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler and the Philadelphia 76ers are in town Wednesday at 8 p.m.

NATHAN DENETTE THE CANADIAN PRESS Kyle Lowry and the Raptors ran into trouble against Nikola Jokic, who finished with a triple-double, and the Nuggets at Scotiabank Arena on Monday night.