Denver Nuggets 128, Toronto Raptors 109: a 41-15 third quarter flips it
Down 67-64 at the half, Denver won the third 41-15 and Nikola Jokic posted 32, 10 and 11 as the Nuggets covered and the game went over.
The Denver Nuggets spent the first half chasing the Toronto Raptors. Then they won the third quarter 41-15 and the game was over.
Toronto led 67-64 at the break and had been up by as many as 10. Twelve minutes later Denver led 105-82. The final was 128-109 at Ball Arena on Wednesday night, and the Nuggets moved to 4-3.
Nikola Jokic finished with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Denver scored 76 points in the paint, 30 more than Toronto. That gap explains most of the result.
How it was won
The first half was an even shootout. Toronto scored 35 in the first quarter and 32 in the second. Denver answered with 33 and 31 and trailed by three going into the locker room. Through two quarters the Raptors were matching Denver basket for basket and getting enough from outside to stay in front.
The third quarter was a different game. Denver scored 41 and held Toronto to 15. A three-point deficit became a 23-point lead, and the Nuggets later stretched it to 27. Toronto won the fourth 27-23, but by then the starters' minutes mattered more than the margin.
The box score shows where it came from. Denver shot 48 of 78 from the field, 62 percent, and made only 9 of 23 threes. It did not need the three-point line because it scored at the rim all night. The Nuggets also had the better of the free throw line, 23 of 27 against Toronto's 15 of 22, and assisted on 35 of their 48 field goals.
Denver won the boards 36-28. Turnovers were close to even, 15 for Denver and 16 for Toronto, so the difference was shot quality rather than possessions.
Jokic ran the offense and finished it. Bryce Hopkins added 18 points, four rebounds and went 1 of 1 from three. Aaron Gordon scored 17, all but three of them inside the arc.
For Toronto, RJ Barrett led with 22 points and made 3 of 7 threes. Scottie Barnes had 17 points, six rebounds and six assists. Collin Murray-Boyles added 13. The Raptors shot a respectable 49 percent and made 12 threes, three more than Denver, but they took 34 attempts to get there and could not keep Denver out of the lane after halftime.
Against the number
Denver closed as a 4.5-point favorite and won by 19, covering by 14.5. The moneyline was Denver -191 and Toronto +160, so the market had the Nuggets as clear favorites and they delivered, though bettors holding Toronto at the half had reason for optimism before the third quarter.
The total closed at 230.5. The teams combined for 237, an over by 6.5. The first half alone produced 131 points, which put the over in good shape early. The third quarter's 56 points kept it there even as the fourth slowed to 50.
Full pricing and line history are on the game page.
What's next
Denver hosts the Indiana Pacers on Saturday, November 7, on NBA TV and DAZN IND. The Nuggets are 2-2 at home after this win, which followed a 118-110 home loss to Portland. Their pattern so far has been to respond to losses: each of their three defeats has been followed by a win.
Toronto falls to 4-4. The Raptors' next game was not in the material available to us at publication, and we will add it to the team page once it is confirmed.
