The Toronto Raptors host the Denver Nuggets at 7:30 p.m. on Sportsnet One, the second night of a travel back-to-back for both sides. Check out the full preview here.
The home side was in Atlanta making a ridiculous comeback against the Hawks, one that tasked an ill Kyle Lowry with 37 minutes, DeMare DeRozan with 36, and Cory Joseph with 34.
“Kyle is fine. He’s 100%.” – Casey confirms Lowry’s participation tonight. #WeTheNorth
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) December 3, 2015
Most everyone else should be well-rested, as should the Nuggets – Danilo Gallinari was the only player to top 30 minutes in a loss to the Chicago Bulls.
Kenneth Faried out for Nuggets
That’s not to say Wednesday didn’t take it’s toll on the Nuggets. Kenneth Faried played a solid 29 minutes in the game but came away with a sore left ankle, one that rendered him a game-time decision for Thursday.
Faried was ruled out shortly before tip-off.
Faried is averaging 12.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in 26 minutes while shooting 60.1 percent from the floor. The field-goal percentage is nice, but many were hoping to see the 26-year-old take a step forward with Michael Malone at the helm after plateauing under Bryan Shaw. His numbers are more or less in line with his established level of performance, which is one of a solid contributor but not necessarily a franchise building block. The Nuggets have performed similarly with or without Faried, something that’s been the story with him his entire Nuggets career – despite seasons of positive or negative impact, the team is 0.1 points per-100 possessions worse with him on the floor over five seasons, essentially a non-impact.
Perhaps effecting his output is that the ankle’s been bothering Faried for some time. He missed three games last week as a result, was brought off the bench in his first game back, and was said to be noticeably limping after Wednesday’s tilt.
Darrell Arthur, a quality system defender with a decent mid-range jumper, started in his stead and will probably do so again. The Nuggets are 1.2 points per-100 possessions better with Arthur on the floor than without, and the Arthur-Nikolc Jokic forontcourt has been one of the team’s better, if still flawed, options.
Gary Harris will also sit.
He was considered questionable after missing the last three games with a concussion. The sophomore was beginning to gather some momentum before the injury, averaging 9.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists while knocking down 43.8 percent of his threes. I’m a big fan of his potential as a 3-and-D type, and it’s nice to see the former coming along (I’d be lying if I said I’ve watched enough Nuggets games closely enough to get a real grasp on if he’s improved defensively, but he was great, if a bit small, at Michigan State).
Randy Foye has been starting in Harris’ place, helping take some of the playmaking burden off of exciting rookie Emmanuel Mudiay. Foye’s averaging 4.6 points and 1.7 assists but dished eight dimes over his three starts. Mudiay’s averaged 1.1 fewer assists in those outings.
UPDATE: Despite being ruled out earlier, Harris was listed as a surprise starter…only to actually be out.
Silky back
James Johnson will be active after battling with a sore left Achilles. He was a late scratch from Wednesday’s game, limiting head coach Dwane Casey’s rotation options and contributing to Lucas Nogueira’s expanded run. Johnson’s playing time has been all over the place, making averages a worthless study, but he’s putting up 3.7 points and 2.1 rebounds in 12.7 minutes while shooting 56.8 percent, and the team’s been 12 points per-100 possessions better with him on the floor. H
Other injuries
Toronto: Jonas Valanciunas remains sidelined with a fractured finger.
Denver: Jusuf Nurkic (knee) and Wilson Chandler (hip) remain sidelined.
Raptors recall Caboclo and Wright
Bruno Caboclo and Delon Wright were assigned to Raptors 905 on Thursday. They have been recalled for Thursday’s game, the team announced, and should be available in the event of a blowout.
Expect both to be assigned once again on Friday, as the Raptors are due for an off day and the team will want to keep the youngsters practicing. They’ll probably remain with the 905 for a 2 p.m. Saturday tip-off despite the parent club having a 5 p.m. tip with the Golden State Warriors.
The Line
With the Nuggets shorthanded and on an eight-game losing streak, the Raptors are 9.5-point favorites in their own building. That’s a small shift from the Raptors -10.5 line I saw this morning, but that shouldn’t signify a significant bet against the Raptors, necessarily. When the line’s that high, a swing can indicate any number of things going on. Maybe the world sees the Raptors getting up big early and giving Caboclo some run?
Double win!
Reminder: The Raptors receive either the New York Knicks’ pick or the Denver Nuggets’ pick in the draft this year, whichever is least favorable after the lottery. The Knicks are playing well and spoiling hopes that it could be somewhere near the top five, but losses for the Knicks and Nuggets still help the expected value of the selection. So beat the Nuggets and it’s like it counts double, or something.
