Denver Nuggets (43-28) beat Toronto Raptors (39-30) 121-115 at home on Friday, March 20, after falling far behind. The Nuggets were down 9 at one quarter break and still finished 6 ahead.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Raptors had the better start, winning the first 30-27 to lead by 3 after one. The Nuggets moved in front with a 30-23 second quarter, carrying a 4-point lead into halftime.
The Raptors won the third 41-28 to turn the game around, taking a 9-point lead into the fourth. The Nuggets took the fourth 36-21; the Nuggets completed the comeback for a 121-115 regulation win.
What flipped it
The Nuggets got more from their shots, finishing at 63% effective field-goal shooting compared with 57% for the Raptors. The Nuggets made 23.5 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 19.8 for the Raptors. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Raptors did win one battle, second chances: ORB% of 27.5% against 23.7%. The Nuggets made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 94 possessions per team, the Nuggets produced 128.6 points per 100 possessions to 122.3 for the Raptors.
Who carried the comeback
Jamal Murray was the game's biggest individual force for DEN: 31 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast on 10-18 shooting. His Game Score of 26.9 led everyone. His team was +2 with him on the floor.
Jakob Poeltl led the Raptors with 23 pts, 11 reb, 2 ast on 10-14 shooting, good for a 23.1 Game Score.
Jakob Poeltl (23 pts, 11 reb, 2 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Nuggets about a 69% chance.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Denver Nuggets lead 3-0.
The Nuggets are now 43-28, and the Raptors are 39-30. The Nuggets last five before this game: W-W-L-W-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.