The Toronto Raptors will attempt to finish a four-game homestand 3-1 when they face the visiting Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night.
The Raptors assured themselves of at least a split of the homestand with a 114-99 victory over the depleted Hornets on Monday. Toronto is still searching for its identity under first-year coach Darko Rajakovic, and it showed against Charlotte, as the team struggled in the early going.
But the Raptors ended up wearing down the short-handed Hornets, with Pascal Siakam finishing with 27 points and Scottie Barnes adding 22 to go along with a career-high-tying 17 rebounds. Gary Trent Jr. supplied 22 points and 10 boards to record his first career double-double.
Meanwhile, Denver is still leaning on the team chemistry that led to the franchise’s first title a season ago. The Nuggets lived up to their status as defending champions on Monday, crushing the Mavericks 130-104.
Denver played an unselfish brand of basketball against Dallas, compiling 29 assists on 49 made baskets.
“That’s who we are, we share the ball, and that’s been our identity for a long time now,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “Unlike some teams, we don’t just play with our teammates, we play for that guy. I think we had countless examples of a guy passing up maybe a good shot to a teammate for a great shot.
“I know that’s a cliche in this business — good to great — but it’s something we do try to live by.”
Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with 22 points on Monday.
“We are trying to hold everybody to a high standard and we have a lot of young guys, so (the veterans) have to lead by example,” Murray said.
Two-time league MVP Nikola Jokic had a quiet night for the Nuggets, tallying eight points, nine rebounds and seven assists in 28 minutes. He is averaging 26.3 points, 12.3 boards and 9.4 assists per game on the season.
“Nikola took eight shots (Monday) and doesn’t have a care in the world,” Malone said. “They were doubling him in the post, they were doubling him in the pocket, but he’s not going to fight the game, he’s going to make the right play. I think that’s contagious to everybody else. I think it’s the right way to play and I love our style of basketball.”
The Raptors have also been moving the ball around. They set a franchise record on Monday with their fifth straight game with 30 or more assists, a run that began on Dec. 8. Toronto had 30 helpers against the Hornets.
Rajakovic has made adjustments to the rotation, allowing the Raptors’ top players to see the floor more.
“We’re looking at a nine-man rotation just to not have those short stands for guys to come in to play like three, four minutes and get out,” Rajakovic said. “Just to try to find some more rhythm for certain guys on the court.”
Those top players — Siakam and Barnes — have played in all 26 of Toronto’s games so far. Trent has missed only three games, while OG Anunoby has missed four.
“We have (had) a pretty healthy roster this season,” Rajakovic said. “That’s a testament to our medical staff but also us working together to try to manage those minutes. I always look at the long-term benefits for the player, for the team, for the organization and for everybody.”
–Field Level Media