Related: Game Recap | Photo Gallery | Box Score
Jay Satur - Raptors.com
It Was Over When....
This was a win that was just as, if not more impressive than Saturday's road victory over the Clippers. Against a rested Nuggets team in the thinner air of Denver, the Raptors appeared a little wobbly as their halftime cushion was wiped out in the third quarter of their second game in as many nights.
But with 7:34 to play in the fourth and the Raptors leading by one, they dug deep, found an extra gear and ripped off a 9-0 run to restore a double-digit lead that wouldn't be genuinely threatened for the remaining six minutes.
``It was frustrating in the fourth quarter,'' said Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried. ``We couldn't score a bucket for some reason and when we did, they had an answer for it. Lowry and Williams got really hot.''
The Game Changer(s)
[[{"fid":"25033","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"type":"media","attributes":{"style":"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;","class":"media-element file-default"}}]]
A bit of a spoiler in the previous section from Faried as it's impossible to choose between the scorching Lou Williams (game-high 31 points) and the continued brilliance of Kyle Lowry (30 points, 7 rebounds, 11 assists) for their huge play in a fourth quarter that saw the Raptors outscore the Nuggets 28-15.
Williams and Lowry each played the entire quarter and scored 10 points apiece and with each also notching an assist to Amir Johnson (who scored the remaining eight Raptors points), they combined to have a hand in an incredible 24 of the Raptors 28 points.
Williams taking some of the pressure off of Lowry as primary ball handler was a catalyst in that game-changing run according to head coach Dwane Casey.
"Lou being at the point allowed Kyle to get off the ball a little bit, rest a little bit on the weak side and come off some pin downs," said Casey post-game. "Lou did a good job of finding him in those situations."
The Underrated Raptor
Tyler Hansbrough deserves props for keeping the burgeoning tradition of a Raptor dunking all over someone in Denver alive...
That being said, Hansbrough brought much more than that to the table with 10 points (5-8 FGM-A), six rebounds (four offensive) in a live wire performance that was quite likely his finest of the season.
"He gave us energy," said Casey post-game. "We were looking for somebody to give us energy on the boards, keep their heads and rebound. Put a body on [Kenneth] Faried. I thought that was very important."
More from Hansbrough post-game from Denver on his approach coming into this one off the bench below (mobile users click here)
That's A Rap
"We decided to get them off the offensive boards in the second half. That's been our Achilles heel the entire season and we've got to keep harping on rebounding. If we're serious about moving on and being a good team, we've got to be a better rebounding team." - Head coach Dwane Casey, after the Raptors were out-rebounded 49-44 on Sunday
By The Numbers
5-3 - Raptors record in the second game of back-to-back sets this season. They're a perfect 8-0 in the front half of back-to-backs this season
5 - Consecutive games in which the Raptors have scored over 110 points
53-20 - Bench scoring favouring the Raptors on Sunday. Toronto's reserves have outscored Denver's bench 102-37 in two meetings this season
2003-04 - The last season the Raptors earned a season series sweep against the Nuggets
62.5% - Raptors free throw shooting percentage on Sunday (20-32 FTM-A)
They Said It
"That's one of the major things that this team has; we're a very poised group. Guys just go out and compete and even when things slip a little bit, we tend to get it back." - Lou Williams, on the resiliency of the Raptors
"Sixty-one points between Lou Williams and Lowry were too much to overcome. We didn't crowd their shooters so they rose up and they shot 3-point shots with a high comfort level. That was the difference." - Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw, on his team's loss
"Lou got hot and made some shots and we stuck with our principles," Lowry said. "We knew if we stayed the course and played our game we'd be all right." - Kyle Lowry on pulling away in the fourth
Up Next
The competition gets even tougher as the Raptors' road trip continues and they prepare to face the best the West has to offer, beginning with the 24-7 Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Centre on Tuesday (10 PM ET, Sportsnet, FAN 590)