One of Raptors’ better efforts goes for naught as Nuggets take over in final minutes to protect home

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There is not a team in the Association that has defended its home court better than the Denver Nuggets this season.

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In 33 games at the re-named Ball Arena coming into Monday night’s Raptors’ visit, the Nuggets had tasted defeat just four times.

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The Raptors came oh-so-close to making it five, but came away just another casualty of a Denver team that appears poised for a championship run, dropping a hard-fought 118-113 decision.

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Toronto was in control most of the night, holding the lead for all but just over three minutes of the game, but it was the most important minutes in which they didn’t hold that lead.

The Nuggets, who lead the Western Conference, went on a 15-4 run to end the game overtaking the Raptors and then putting it away when Scottie Barnes was whistled for a technical foul by veteran official Scott Foster in the final minute.

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A foul was called on Jakob Poeltl with the Nuggets holding a one-point lead. Barnes appeared to make a gesture which prompted Foster to issue the technical which ended Barnes night.

Barnes seemed unsure what he had done or said to deserve the T, as did Raptors head coach Nick Nurse, but the result were three free throws, two for the initial foul and one for the tech which the Nuggets converted making it a two-possession game with 28 seconds left.

The Raptors didn’t score again.

It was a tough result for a Raptors’ effort that probably deserved better in one of their better games of the year.

With a full squad and fully rested after a practice day in the Denver altitude to get a little more acclimated, the Raptors came out prepared for Denver’s best shot.

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Whether they got it or not will depend on how much credit one wants to give the Raptors’ defence.

Toronto’s defence deserved the credit first, limiting the likely MVP of the league in Nikola Jokic to just 17 points and nine assists.

Whether it was OG Anunoby or Poeltl or Barnes, the Raptors refused to let the likely soon-to-be three-time MVP take the game over.

But the Nuggets are more than just Jokic. In terms of scoring, they can also go to Michael Porter Jr. or Canada’s own Jamal Murray to carry the load offensively if Jokic is commanding a lot of attention as he was Monday night.

Murray had just six points in the first half but had 18 more in the second to keep this one from slipping away.

Murray was good on five of his 10 three-point attempts which helped give the Nuggets the edge in the one department that was clearly won by either team. Denver had a three-score edge from behind the arc and that was enough to decide the game.

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Toronto was once again led by Fred VanVleet who still seems to be finding another gear even this late into the season.

The Raptors point guard carried the scoring load with 21 points and had 14 assists on top of that, again in a performance deserving of a better fate.

As VanVleet continues to climb, the same cannot be said for Pascal Siakam, the man who regularly leads this team in scoring.

For the third game in a row Siakam was held under 20 points and is now averaging just 14 points in three games in March. That’s a far cry from the 26.3 he averaged in February or even the 22.4 he averaged through all of January.

The Raptors are going to need all of its top guns firing on all cylinders if they are to make a push to get home court in the play-in tournament.

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Poeltl continues to fill his role at a high level since coming over at the trade deadline.

He gave the Raptors 18 points and nine rebounds in another fine example of what a smooth pick and roll tandem can accomplish with VanVleet and Poeltl looking like that four and a half years they were separated never occurred.

Toronto’s bench played the Nuggets reserve mostly even all night, finishing up a point shy of the Denver’s total.

Precious Achiuwa was once again finished the evening with the best plus-minus total on the team, chipping in offensively with nine points along with six rebounds and three assists.

Gary Trent Jr., the primary source of offence off the Toronto bench, had 13 to lead the second unit scorers.

The Raptors’ road trip continues west to Los Angeles where a date with the Clippers awaits Wednesday and then one with the Lakers on Friday before returning home.

With the loss the Raptors are now two games under .500 in ninth trailing eighth place Atlanta by a half game and seventh place Miami by three games.

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