Gameday: Nuggets vs Raptors, December 20

Our first look at the champs! Always a super fun game when you get to see the Toronto Raptors tested by the reigning champions and the team that is dictating the style so many teams want to use — including the Raptors themselves.

The Raptors have moved a ton of their actions to the elbows this year and ramped up their handoffs, passing, and pace. The Denver Nuggets just won a championship doing that, so it makes sense. Whereas the Nuggets do it with their center, Nikola Jokic, one of the greatest offensive weapons of all time, the Raptors have had to shift things around. They run some elbow stuff for post-ups for *gestures at the entire roster* the bigs. They run some elbow stuff to get *gestures at Dennis Schroder alone* the guards downhill. Because the Raptors don’t have the creation, pull-up shooting, or driving ability of the Nuggets, it’s a little sparser. But the ideas are good.

What the Raptors do have is one of the best elbow-action defenders in the league in OG Anunoby. He’s been in a small funk recently, but he’s put up some gems in recent years guarding Jokic. He three-quarters or fully fronts, tips away entry passes, and is able to gap drivers at the same time. His strength and length find no better home than in this specific matchup. The Raptors do have Jakob Poeltl now, so don’t expect to see Anunoby spend the majority of his time on Jokic. But when it happens, it could jumpstart the transition game, get Anunoby cross-matched going the other way, and pull him out of his funk. Those no-center minutes were huge for Toronto against Charlotte in its last outing, so it’s possible Darko Rajokovic rides them again here.

Nuggets scope: 18-10, 2nd in West| Offensive Rating: 7th (117.9) | Defensive Rating: 10th (112.6)

Even when the Nuggets are going half-speed, they still churn out wins. They’re not trying very hard, and they look bad sometimes — especially when Jamal Murray was out earlier in the year — but they still climb the standings. Must be nice. They’re coming off of a huge wire-to-wire win against the Dallas Mavericks.

Raptors scope: 11-15, 11th in East | Offensive Rating: 19th (112.9) | Defensive Rating: 15th (114.4)

If Scottie Barnes didn’t turn that game around against the Charlotte Hornets, they’d be coming off of the worst regular-season loss that I can remember this team having. But he did turn it around. He is increasingly making all this losing and misery worth it this year with his incredible star turn. Every game is a chance for him to wow us, and he especially likes to turn up against the best. This is a good chance.

Game Info

Tip-Off: 7:30pm EST | TV: TSN | Radio: SN590

Hornets Lineup

Vlatko Cancar (knee), Jay Huff (two-way), Key Braxton (two-way), Jalen Pickett (assignment), and Tyson Hunter (assignment) are out. Aaron Gordon (heel) is probably.

PG: Jamal Murray, Reggie Jackson, Collin Gillespie

SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Julian Strawther, Justin Holiday

SF: Michael Porter jr., Christian Braun

PF: Aaron Gordon, Peyton Watson

C: Nikola Jokic, Zeke Nnaji, DeAndre Jordan