Raptors plagued by another poor start in loss to Nuggets

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Three games into their homestand and the Toronto Raptors again found themselves staring at a double-digit deficit going into the fourth quarter, this time against an injury riddled Denver Nuggets team that would lose another big man in the third period Wednesday night.

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Toronto’s play against a very pesky Nuggets side was very spotty and uneven, offensive inefficiency again plaguing the home side, a poor start again forcing the Raptors to play from behind in a 106-103 defeat.

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In an overtime win Sunday against the Golden State Warriors, the Raptors found a way to persevere. The following night, they came back from a huge deficit to beat the Orlando Magic.

A similar script would unfold against Denver. Similarly, the ending made for a competitive climax with the outcome riding on every possession. It was that close, too close to call in fact.

A miracle three-pointer at the buzzer by Brandon Ingram was overturned by a video review, a basket that would have forced overtime, a possession set up when the Nuggets failed to convert from the line that would have sealed the win.

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Eventually, the Raptors can’t put themselves in such dire circumstances. They survived the Warriors and Magic, but failed against the Nuggets.

The following are three takeaways from a Raptors loss that dropped their record to 20-15.

1. Canadian content

RJ Barrett was back in Toronto’s starting group, though he remains on a minutes restriction after missing 15 games, while Jamal Murray was the lone incumbent for the Nuggets.

On a few possessions, Barrett would get matched up against Murray, teammates on Canada’s national team. On one sequence, Murray got Barrett to bite on a shot fake that led to a foul and a trip to the charity stripe.

When Murray was on the floor, the ball was often in his hands.

One turnover was initiated by Barrett, who forced Murray to spin to his right where he was met by Scottie Barnes. It was Murray’s first turnover.

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When the second half began, Murray’s primary defender was Barnes, whose defensive versatility has gone to a different level.

The Raptors began the third quarter by going on a 9-0 run to tie the game. A Barrett three-ball three minutes into the second half gave the Raptors their first lead since they led 11-10.

Denver closed the period by going on a 7-0 run to take an 85-79 advantage into the fourth quarter.

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2. Point Taken

Offensive production was a major issue for the Raptors, who trailed by as many as 21 points Monday night when the Magic provided the opposition.

Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic made the right call in having two point guards on the floor in Immanuel Quickley and Jamal Shead, in part to try to create a quicker pace. Given how Quickley was looking to score more often than normal, having Shead allowed the starting point guard to play off the ball.

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Mind you, the Raptors were playing with a double-digit deficit.

Denver would go with a zone look, which was expected because the Raptors weren’t making shots, especially from beyond the three-point arc.

Shead couldn’t buy a basket in the first half, 24 minutes that would see the trio of Quickley, Barnes and Ingram combine to score 42 of Toronto’s 54 points. The threesome ended the night by scoring 73 combined points.

3. J.V.’s no joke

In the wake of Nikola Jokic’s knee injury, which is expected to sideline the three-time MVP for at least four weeks, the Nuggets turned to former Raptors centre Jonas Valanciunas, a quality big man who isn’t as polished at the Joker — then again no one comes close to Jokic’s brilliance.

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The Joker was one of four starters who weren’t available Wednesday for the Nuggets.

During his time in Toronto, the affable Valanciunas would heave three-pointers to the chagrin of many, occasionally draining a few. He remains a throwback centre, capable of playing with his back to the basket and punishing defenders with his size and strength.

With Jakob Poeltl (back) sidelined until at least Monday when he’ll be re-evaluated, the Raptors didn’t have a legitimate defender to check Valanciunas.

In nine minutes, Valanciunas, who has been dealing with an illness, scored eight points and recorded six rebounds. His solid start to the night also featured two fouls. Entering the night, Valanciunas had been averaging 13 minutes in his first season with Denver.

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He made a nice pass from the high post that would have made the Joker proud for his third assist.

In the opening half, Valanciunas was two rebounds shy of recording a double-double in 15 minutes of floor time. The Raptors had rookie Collin Murray-Boyles defend Valanciunas to begin the second half.

In a bad twist of fate, Valanciunas was injured with 4:03 left in the third quarter. He was accompanied to the locker-room by a club official with Valanciunas limping noticeably. The official diagnosis was a right calf strain.

Valanciunas needed only six attempts from the field to score 17 points before his injury.

Up next

The Raptors’ five-game homestand wraps up with a two-game mini series against the Atlanta Hawks, the first tip to be played Saturday, the second on Monday; Toronto has twice clipped the Hawks, each win produced in Atlanta, including a victory on opening night; Trae Young has endured an injury plagued season amid reports the Hawks are open to trading the score-first point guard.

fzicarelli@postmedia.com

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