1st Quarter Report
Fortunes may be turning around for the Raptors after losing three in a row. After one quarter, neither squad has the contest in the bag, but the Raptors lead 34-32 over the Nuggets.
The Raptors came into the match with some extra motivation after the loss they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We’ll see if they’re able to flip the script or if it’ll just be more of the same.
Who’s Playing
Toronto Raptors @ Denver Nuggets
Current Records: Toronto 23-41, Denver 44-20
How To Watch
- When: Monday, March 11, 2024 at 9 p.m. ET
- Where: Ball Arena — Denver, Colorado
- TV: Altitude Sports & Entertainmnt
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $49.00
What to Know
The Nuggets will be playing the full four quarters on Monday, but they’re expected to have things wrapped up well before that. They will play host again and welcome the Toronto Raptors, where tip off is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET at Ball Arena. The Raptors took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on the Nuggets, who come in off a win.
Winning is just a little bit easier when you work as a team to rack up 18 more assists than your opponent, a fact the Nuggets proved on Saturday. Everything went their way against Utah as Denver made off with a 142-121 victory. The match was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 78-44.
The Nuggets can attribute much of their success to Nikola Jokic, who scored 26 points along with eight assists and six rebounds, and Jamal Murray, who went 6 for 9 from beyond the arc en route to 37 points and 7 assists. Jokic hasn’t dropped below 25 points for four straight games.
Meanwhile, the Raptors fought the good fight in their overtime matchup against the Trail Blazers on Saturday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell 128-118 to the Trail Blazers. The Raptors just can’t catch a break and have now endured three losses in a row.
Denver has been performing incredibly well recently as they’ve won eight of their last nine matches, which provided a nice bump to their 44-20 record this season. As for Toronto, they have been struggling recently as they’ve lost five of their last six matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 23-41 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: The Nuggets haven’t given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 11.8 turnovers per game (they’re ranked fifth in turnovers per game overall). However, it’s not like the Raptors struggle in that department as they’ve been averaging only 12.8 turnovers per game. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
The Nuggets were able to grind out a solid victory over the Raptors when the teams last played back in December of 2023, winning 113-104. Do the Nuggets have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Raptors turn the tables on them? We’ll have the answer soon enough.
Odds
Denver is a big 14.5-point favorite against Toronto, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Nuggets as a 13.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 231 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Denver has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Toronto.
- Dec 20, 2023 – Denver 113 vs. Toronto 104
- Mar 14, 2023 – Toronto 125 vs. Denver 110
- Mar 06, 2023 – Denver 118 vs. Toronto 113
- Mar 12, 2022 – Toronto 127 vs. Denver 115
- Feb 12, 2022 – Denver 110 vs. Toronto 109
- Apr 29, 2021 – Denver 121 vs. Toronto 111
- Mar 24, 2021 – Toronto 135 vs. Denver 111
- Aug 14, 2020 – Toronto 117 vs. Denver 109
- Mar 01, 2020 – Denver 133 vs. Toronto 118
- Dec 16, 2018 – Denver 95 vs. Toronto 86
