The Toronto Raptors will be looking to get back to winning ways when they return to their home court to face off against the Denver Nuggets at the Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday.
A defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves last time out saw the Raptors fall to a 1-2 record, while the Nuggets still await their first victory having been beaten by the Los Angeles Clippers in their most recent involvement.
Match preview
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Seeking consecutive victories for the first time this term, the Toronto Raptors were no match for last year's Western Conference finalists, the Minnesota Timberwolves, who cruised to a 112-101 triumph at Target Center on Sunday.
A slow start to the contest saw Darko Rajakovic's men trail by a whopping 14 points at the end of the first quarter, and there was hardly any way back into the game over the course of the remaining 36 minutes.
Gradey Dick recorded a season-high 25 points on 9-16 shooting to lead the Raptors in scoring, but he was one of only three players into double digits for points for his team alongside Scottie Barnes (20) and Ochai Agbaji (19).
The Raptors are yet to really click as an offensive unit this season, as shown by their tally of 107.3 points per game, which currently ranks 25th out of 30 teams ahead of Tuesday's clash against the Nuggets.
This fixture yielded two defeats from as many matches for the Raptors during the 2023-24 campaign, but they have since come out on top in a Summer League encounter between the teams back in July.
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The Denver Nuggets saw their underwhelming start to the season continue as they were beaten for a second home game running following a 109-104 defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers in Saturday's clash at the Ball Arena.
Michael Malone's men held a narrow three-point advantage heading into the final minute of the contest before they were inexplicably outscored 9-1 in a 49-second spell either side of a crucial missed free throw by Nikola Jokic which would have tied the game at 105 apiece.
Nonetheless, Jokic recorded yet another impressive performance as the reigning MVP tallied 41 points, nine rebounds and four dimes in his 37 minutes with a +/- score of 7—the highest of any of his teammates.
A lack of reliable squad depth has contributed significantly to the Nuggets' struggles so far as exhibited last time out, where all five starters had a positive +/- score and all bench players had a negative rating.
Currently with the league's lowest-performing offensive unit that has produced just 95.5 points per game so far, the Nuggets will really need the likes of Michael Porter Jr and Aaron Gordon to step up if Tuesday's visitors are to arrest their slump in form.
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Team News
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Twenty-two-year-old DaRon Holmes II remains the only guaranteed absentee for the Denver Nuggets after suffering a right Achilles tendon injury while on Summer League duty.
Recovering from a poor showing against the Oklahoma City Thunder to notch 22 points last time out, Jamal Murray will be looking to enjoy another impressive outing and provide some much-needed offensive help to Jokic.
Bruce Brown and Ja'Kobe Walter will not play any part for the Raptors as they continue to nurse knee and shoulder injuries respectively, but the latter is not far off a return to action.
Meanwhile, RJ Barrett (shoulder) and Immanuel Quickley (pelvis) are major doubts to feature here having both missed Sunday's defeat to the Timberwolves.
Canadian center Kelly Olynyk also missed the aforementioned game with a back problem and could be set to sit out a second straight match for the home side.
Toronto Raptors possible starting five:
Mitchell, Agbaji; Dick, Barnes; Poeltl
Denver Nuggets possible starting five:
Murray, Braun; Gordon, Porter Jr.; Jokic
We say: Nuggets to win by 4+ points
The Nuggets have fared well defensively so far, allowing the third-fewest points per game, but their attacking output has often been the letdown.
We can see them coming away with a hard-fought victory on the road to finally get their season up and running.
Adepoju Marvellous
