Nikola Jokic recorded 32 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his third triple-double of the season as the Denver Nuggets defeated the Toronto Raptors 128-109 on Wednesday, November 4, at Ball Arena.
Denver (4-3) earned its most convincing victory of the season, with seven players scoring in double figures.
Rookie Bryce Hopkins led the supporting cast with a career-high 18 points off the bench, while Aaron Gordon added 17 points and Jamal Murray finished with 14 points and seven assists.
Jokic shot 13-of-19 from the field and added three steals in 30 minutes. The three-time NBA MVP also helped Denver finish with 35 assists and 48 made field goals on 78 attempts, shooting 61.5% from the floor.
The Nuggets trailed 67-64 at halftime but completely changed the game in the third quarter. Denver outscored Toronto 41-15 in the period, shooting 68.2% from the field and 76.5% on two-point attempts to establish a 23-point advantage.
Toronto struggled to respond, missing 18 of its 23 field-goal attempts in the third quarter. The Raptors also lost their shooting rhythm from beyond the arc, making just three of 15 3-point attempts in the second half after converting nine of 19 before halftime.
RJ Barrett led Toronto with 22 points, extending his run of at least 20 points to seven games in eight appearances this season. Scottie Barnes contributed 17 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Immanuel Quickley added 13 points and seven assists, but the Raptors could not recover from Denver’s third-quarter surge.
After opening the season 3-1, Toronto has now lost three of its last four games. Denver, meanwhile, improved to 2-2 at home after losing two of its first three games at Ball Arena, with its only previous home victory coming after overcoming a 23-point deficit against New Orleans.
Toronto visits the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, November 6, while Denver hosts the Indiana Pacers on Saturday, November 7.
