Gameday: Nuggets vs Raptors, October 28
The Denver Nuggets come into Toronto for a Monday night matchup still in search of their first win of the season.
Losing to an Oklahoma City Thunder team that is a favourite to come out of the west was excusable, but the Nuggets’ loss on Saturday to the Los Angeles Clippers – despite a 41-point performance from Nikola Jokić – is harder to justify (ex-Raptor Norman Powell went off for 37 in that one).
So far, Jokić’s stellar play hasn’t been enough to lift the Nuggets to a win. I think it stands to reason that the Raptors try to match Jakob Poltl’s minutes with the three-time MVP.
With Kelly Olynyk currently sidelined, there is an interesting battle going on for the Raptor’s back-up centre minutes. After Jonathan Mogbo broke out playing as a small-ball five against the Philadelphia 76ers – recording 12 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 stocks – he only played 9 minutes against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Bruno Fernando played 12, and while he has demonstrated an ability to bang in the paint, he has been considerably less effective than Mogbo overall.
The San Francisco product has a colossal +41.7 on/off differential, compared to Fernando’s -14.6, and while it’s only been three games, that is an extreme difference. That being said, Mogbo will take time to develop, and can’t be expected to consistently contribute to winning right away.
Another intriguing match-up will be at the point-of-attack. We’ll see if Davion Mitchell and Jamal Shead’s dogged defence is able to blow up some of Denver’s actions, and if Mitchell is able to once again live up to his nickname and force Jamal Murray to have an “off night”.
The Nugget’s core of Jokic, Murray, Michael Porter Jr, and Aaron Gordon remained unchanged through the offseason, with their only subtractions being Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Jackson. Denver also added Russell Westbrook and Dario Saric to its rotation.
Last season the Nuggets finished second in the Western Conference at 57-25, fifth in offensive rating (117.8) and eighth in defensive rating (112.3). Four-man lineups including their aforementioned core had the sixth-best net rating in the league (13.2) of lineups with a minimum of 500 minutes played together. It was also one of ten four-man lineups in the league to play over 1000 minutes together.
After rolling over against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first game of the season, the Raptors have bounced back strong over the next two. They visibly put in a high level of effort in both a win over the ailing Philadelphia 76ers and an acceptable loss on the second night of a back-to-back against the Minnesota Timberwolves – a team with championship aspirations.
Gradey Dick’s shot making ability so far this season has been outrageous, and his performance on Saturday against Denver was his best yet. He put up a career high 25 points including two skillful floaters over the outstretched arms of Rudy Gobert, a baseline turnaround, a fadeaway and-one over Gobert, and some difficult above-the-break 3’s.
Fellow Kansas product Ochai Agbaji has also stood out early on, getting to the rim and finishing there at a higher rate than usual. He is 9-of-13 at the rim through three games, and has attempted 62 percent of his shots there, compared to 50 percent last season. Agbaji also went 3-of-5 from 3-point range on Saturday.
One area the Raptors need to improve on is taking care of the basketball. They lead the league in turnovers, averaging 22 per game.
Game Info
Tip-Off: 7:30 p.m. ET
Television: TSN 4, 5
Radio: TSN Radio 1050
Starting Lineups (Projected)
Denver Nuggets
PG: Jamal Murray
SG: Christian Braun
SF: Michael Porter Jr.
PF: Aaron Gordon
C: Nikola Jokic
Toronto Raptors
PG: Davion Mitchell
SG: Gradey Dick
SF: Ochai Agbaji
PF: Scottie Barnes
C: Jakob Poeltl
Injury Report (Not official)
Nuggets
DaRon Holmes II (Achilles) – Out
Raptors
RJ Barrett (Shoulder) – Questionable
Immanuel Quickley (Pelvis) – Doubtful
Kelly Olynyk (Back) – Out
Bruce Brown Jr. (Knee) – Out
Ja’Kobe Walter (905) – Out
Ulrich Chomche (905) – Out
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