After an impressive and unexpected rout 110-98 of the Los Angeles Clippers, the Toronto Raptors will continue their six-game road trip with a pit stop in the Centennial State to face off against the Denver Nuggets. Arguably their most complete victory of the season, Toronto (23-7) was led by Kyle Lowry, who amassed 25 points while dishing out seven assists against the Clippers. Jonas Valanciunas, another significant contributor, scored 22 points to go with 11 rebounds.
The Raptors are now 1-1 on their current road trip but still have visits in Portland, Golden State and Phoenix after tonight. Denver (13-17), had an awful start to the year going 1-6 in their first seven contests, but have played good basketball as of late to slowly claw back into the Western Conference playoff picture. The Nuggets have won three straight home games, including a 106-102 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves where Kenneth “Manimal” Faried had 26 points and a godly 25 rebounds.
Head to head, Denver has the slight edge, winning 6 of the past 10 matches. However, the Raptors have now won two straight over their counterparts. It is an opportune time to make it three straight as the Nuggets will be without the services key players such as Danilo Gallinari (Torn right meniscus), Javale McGee (leg strain), Darrell Arthur (lower leg strain) and Randy Foye (right quad strain). This should be a high-tempo and entertaining game.
Cage’s Keys to the Game:
Tame the Manimal
Faried is on a tear as of late averaging 14.4 points, 12.2 rebounds on .604 % shooting over five games, including that aforementioned monster performance against Minnesota. He remains one of my favourite players to watch in the NBA due to his motor, energy, tenacity and no nonsense attitude and will be a tough guard for JV and Amir Johnson. The 25-year-old won’t damage opponents with scoring, but his athleticism, hustle and elite rebounding can be the difference.
Get In Transition
The Nuggets are an abomination on the defensive end, surrendering 103.9 points per game to opponents. They rank in the bottom echelon of most defensive categories including opponent points per shot (1.23), opponent free throws attempted (847) and opponent field goals attempted (2532). Denver has no defensive presence to speak of, save for Timoefy Mozgov and Darrell Arthur. The rest of the team may as well be pylons. Expect Dwane Casey to preach the transition game in order to exploit Denver’s weak exterior and interior defense.
Mad Science
As previously discussed, the Nuggets lack a strong interior defensive presence and this should be a field day for JV, who has averaged 17 points and 8.4 boards in his past five outings. Valanciunas has scored 20+ points in two straight games and the streak should continue tonight against Denver’s porous defense.
X-Factor: James Johnson
The jack-of-all-trades James Johnson is continuing to be an integral component of Toronto’s success with a blend of offensive hustle and defensive energy. Johnson is by no means an offensive ace, but has averaged 10 points and 5.6 rebounds with starter minutes (26.8 over his past five games). The Nuggets love to quicken the pace and Johnson will be relied on heavily for perimeter defense and versatility. The former Wake Forest Demon Deacon is becoming one of the better bargains of the 2014 NBA offseason and is worthy a lengthy tenure.
