Holly MacKenzie - Raptors.com
IT WAS OVER WHEN
Will Barton made a three-pointer to put Denver up 23 points with 10:33 remaining. After two weeks at home in Toronto, and an 11-game winning streak, the Raptors were unable to keep up with the Nuggets who ran away with a 112-93 decision on their home floor. The blowout dropped Toronto to 32-16, and was one of the team’s worst losses of the season.
OFFENSIVE STRUGGLES
After a solid first quarter and the game tied at 28, things started to unravel for Toronto in the second. The Raptors shot just 5-of-20 from the floor in the quarter, shooting 25 percent to Denver’s 59 percent (13-for-22) as they were outscored 32-21, with the Nuggets taking an 11-point lead at the break. Toronto’s shooting woes continued in the second half as Denver pulled away behind the strong play of rookie Nikola Jokic and a 16-point fourth quarter from Will Barton.
STREAK ENDS
Toronto’s winning streak ended at a franchise-record 11 straight victories. The streak started Jan 6 against the Brooklyn Nets and was the longest on-going streak in the league. During the stretch, the team set a franchise record for wins in the month of January, going 12-2 to lead the Eastern Conference with head coach Dwane Casey being named Eastern Conference coach of the month.
JAMES JOHNSON INJURED
Losing a starter isn’t ever ideal, but losing a starter on the first game of a road trip when that starter is already filling in for an injured starter is extra tough. James Johnson left the game with 3:37 remaining in the first half after coming down awkwardly and spraining his ankle. After being helped off the floor by his teammates, he limped gingerly to the locker room and had x-rays at the arena. Although x-rays were negative, he did not return and his status for Tuesday’s game is unknown.
RAPTORS PLAYER OF THE GAME
DeMar DeRozan was one of the only Raptors to have it going offensively in Denver. DeRozan led the team with 24 points on 7-for-14 field goals. He made 10 of 11 attempts from the free throw line, and added four assists, a rebound and a steal in 28 minutes.
UNDERRATED RAPTORS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Terrence Ross continued scoring off the bench, leading the reserves with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting. Ross added four rebounds and an assist in 27 minutes and is averaging 9.3 points per game since the new year.
THAT'S A RAP…
“You want to play great for the whole season, every single game, but it just doesn’t work that way. We got humbled tonight. I told all the guys we’ve just got to bounce back. We’ve got another game tomorrow. We can forget about this one. It happens. Just move on.”- DeMar DeRozan on looking forward to Phoenix
BY THE #’S
12… Missed free throws for the Raptors who made just 69 percent (27-of-39) of their attempts from the line.37… Percent shooting for Toronto, who gave up 54 percent shooting to the Nuggets.15… Just 15 free throws attempted for the Nuggets, compared to 39 for the Raptors. Denver made up for this with 45 made field goals in the game to 29 for Toronto.27… Points on 12-for-18 field goals for rookie Nikola Jokic who also added 14 rebounds and four assists in 30 minutes.13… Players logged minutes for the Raptors, with Dwane Casey emptying his bench midway through the fourth in hopes of having his starters rested for Tuesday’s back-to-back against the Suns.
THEY SAID IT…
“We just understand that, don’t drop two in a row. Learn from our mistakes tomorrow, but don't let a streak from the losing side start.”- DeMar DeRozan on getting back on track with a win“We’ve just got to focus on tomorrow with Phoenix. We know they’re coming in with a new coach and they’re going to come out playing extremely hard. We’ve got to get back to doing what we do, playing hard, playing aggressive and playing defence.”- Kyle Lowry on putting the loss in the rearview“Our players know that this wasn’t us. The way you get respect in this league is be consistent. Be consistent in your performance. It’s on all of us. We take it. We own it. We have to own it. [The score] doesn’t lie, 93-112, that’s the ballgame.”- Dwane Casey on accepting the loss and looking to get back on track Tuesday"The variables are an 82-game season. We can talk about the streak, but the streak has nothing to do with it. I haven't talked about the streak. It has nothing to do with the streak. It’s about our focus, our energy coming into this building. They just outworked us in every area.”- Dwane Casey on not looking for excuses after an ugly loss
UP NEXT:
The Raptors head to Phoenix for the second game of a back-to-back against the Suns on Tuesday night at 9 P.M. ET.