Toronto Raptors vs. Denver Nuggets Matchup: Looking for upside in Mile High

We’ve got to put those dang, pesky Washington Wizards behind us, because it’s a big two weeks for the Toronto Raptors.

Beginning tonight on the road against the Denver Nuggets, the Raptors’ schedule is coming fast and furious — with plenty of games against tough opponents. They’ll see these Nuggets again in Toronto nxt Tuesday, with matchups against the Clippers, Timberwolves and Bucks all to come before we reach the last week of March.

Any hope the Raptors have of getting the sixth seed will mean some upsets at this point. Perhaps more realistically, Toronto still has ample wiggle room to host a play in game by moving up from their current spot in the ninth seed. They don’t necessarily need to beat teams like the Nuggets to achieve that, but it doesn’t hurt.

We know what Denver can do. Nikola Jokic is averaging a triple double and, in all likelihood, is on his way to a third MVP trophy. The Nuggets added depth at the trade deadline and have shooting at several positions — a tall task for a Raptors defense that hasn’t consistently been on a string this season.

We’ve seen past Raptors teams play up to their competition. Can we expect that trend to come back tonight? Only thing to do is watch.

Where to Watch:

TSN, 9 PM ET

Starting Lineups:

Toronto Raptors — Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam, Jakob Poeltl

Denver Nuggets — Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jamal Murray

Injuries:

Toronto Raptors — Otto Porter Jr. (foot – out)

Denver Nuggets — Vlatko Cancer (wrist – questionable), Zeke Nnaji (shoulder – out), Collin Gillespie (leg – out)