The Denver Nuggets are about to play their 60th game of the 2019-20 season. And yet, Sunday’s matchup will present Denver with its first look at the Toronto Raptors, one of the surprise teams this season given their success following the departures of Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green.
Denver (40-19) is coming off one of its worst losses of the season at the hands of the LA Clippers. The Nuggets fell behind early and couldn’t get back within striking distance as turnovers continued to plague the team. With a quarter of the regular season left, the focus has shifted to head coach Michael Malone and his tinkering with the second unit in order to find a group that will work best come playoff time.
Toronto (42-17) has surprised many with their resilience in the face of Leonard’s departure and the plethora of injuries the team has dealt with this season. Despite Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol and other rotation players missing various periods of time, the Raptors sit in second place in the Eastern Conference and are on pace for 58 wins.
The Nuggets were able to sweep both contests between the two teams last season and own a 28-18 lead in the all-time series.