Jokic posts 32-point triple-double as Nuggets pull away from Raptors, 128-109

The Denver Nuggets finally looked comfortable at Ball Arena. Nikola Jokic had 32 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his third triple-double of the season, and Denver turned a halftime deficit into a 128-109 win over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night. The win moves the Nuggets to 4-3.

The game turned in the third quarter. Toronto led 67-64 at the break, and then Denver outscored the Raptors 41-15 over the next 12 minutes. According to the Associated Press recap on ESPN, the Nuggets shot 68.2% from the field in the quarter while Toronto missed 18 of its 23 attempts. Denver led by as many as 23, and the 19-point final margin is its widest win of the season.

Jokic made 13 of his 19 shots and led the team with three steals. Six other Nuggets scored in double figures. Rookie forward Bryce Hopkins led that group off the bench with a career-high 18 points, and VAVEL USA reported that he got there on 6-of-7 shooting. Aaron Gordon added 17 points, and Jamal Murray had 14 points and seven assists.

Toronto's offense stalled after halftime. The Raptors made 9 of 19 three-pointers in the first half and only 3 of 15 in the second. RJ Barrett led them with 22 points, the seventh time in eight games he has reached 20. Scottie Barnes had 17 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals. Toronto is now 4-4 and has lost three of four since a 3-1 start.

The win mattered most at home. Denver had dropped two of its first three games at Ball Arena, and its only home win before Wednesday required a comeback from 23 points down against New Orleans. It also came right after a 118-110 home loss to Portland, so the Nuggets have answered that defeat before it could become a skid.

What it means for Saturday against Indiana

The Nuggets host the Indiana Pacers on Saturday afternoon, November 7. The game airs on NBA TV and DAZN in Indiana. Denver will try to put together consecutive wins at home for the first time this season. The Nuggets are 2-2 at Ball Arena and 2-1 on the road.

Over seven games, Denver's results have run hot and cold. The team has scored 808 points and allowed 803, so its average margin is barely above even. The extremes are wide: a 141-135 shootout win over New Orleans, an 84-96 loss in Oklahoma City where the offense never got going, and a 20-point home loss to Golden State. Denver has won three of its last four, though, and the two road wins at New Orleans (104-91) and Phoenix (127-120) showed it can win slower, grinding games as well as track meets.

The Toronto game also showed Denver what a deeper rotation looks like. With Jokic producing at this level, the Nuggets do not need many extra contributors to win, but Hopkins giving them 18 efficient points off the bench is a welcome addition. If that bench production holds up, it gives Denver a margin for error that its rotation did not always have in the first two weeks.