Nikola Jokic answers his slow start as Denver Nuggets rout Toronto Raptors 128-109
Nikola Jokic posted a triple-double in three quarters as the Denver Nuggets beat the Toronto Raptors 128-109 to reach 4-3 before hosting Indiana.
The Denver Nuggets needed a clean, comfortable night, and on Wednesday they got one. Denver beat the Toronto Raptors 128-109 at Ball Arena, and Nikola Jokic had his best game of the young season. He finished a triple-double in only three quarters, so the fourth was left to the reserves.
The timing mattered. Jokic's slow start had become a talking point after Monday's 118-110 home loss to Portland. Mile High Sports had spent part of the week on his slump. After the Toronto game, Ryan Blackburn called it Denver's best win of the year and a much-needed bounce-back for the three-time MVP and his team. ESPN's game highlights show what changed. Jokic was back to running the offense from the elbow, and the Raptors never got the game close enough to make the closing minutes interesting.
The score also says something about Denver's season so far. Before Wednesday, the Nuggets had won by 7, 13 and 6 points. Their losses had come by 12, 20 and 8. The 19-point margin against Toronto is the largest of the season in either direction, and it lifts Denver to 4-3. It was also the first time this season the Nuggets have controlled a game from start to finish without anything close to a late push from the other side.
The win reverses a recent trend. Denver had turned in a strong road trip, winning 104-91 in New Orleans and 127-120 in Phoenix, and then gave that momentum back by losing at home to Portland. Wednesday's performance helps ease concerns that the Blazers loss was the start of a slide.
What it means for Saturday against Indiana
Denver hosts the Indiana Pacers on Saturday, November 7 (NBA TV), and home form is the first thing to fix. The Nuggets are 2-2 at Ball Arena and 2-1 on the road. Home losses to Golden State and Portland have offset home wins over New Orleans and Toronto. Getting two home wins in a row would give this group its first real stretch of steady play.
The season numbers explain why Denver is 4-3 and not better. Through seven games the Nuggets are scoring 115.4 points a night and giving up 114.7. That works out to a margin of less than a point per game, and it is weighed down by the 134-114 loss to the Warriors and the 96-84 opening loss in Oklahoma City. The offense has been capable of big totals, including 141 against New Orleans and 128 on Wednesday. The defense has been the inconsistent part. Opponents have topped 115 four times in seven games.
On Saturday, the main question is whether the Toronto version of Jokic carries over. Denver has not won two games in a row since the stretch from late October into the Phoenix game, and the team has alternated results for most of the season's first two weeks. Follow the rest of the season on our Denver Nuggets team page.
