The Toronto Raptors had a tough matchup ahead going into Saturday night as they visited the Mile High City to face Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
The high altitude already serves as a natural handicap, but the Raptors were also playing without All-Star guard Fred VanVleet against one of the best home teams in the league. The game was stayed close throughout, up until the start of the fourth quarter when the Nuggets opened up an eight point lead and look poised to pull away.
But that's when the Raptors turned it up a notch, flipping the script and finishing the game on a 31-11 run thanks to a spirited effort from the reserve unit that had head coach Nick Nurse proud.
Via Josh Lewenberg:
“We showed a lot of character,” said the Raptors coach. “I like that we've shown a lot of toughness in these last 2 nights, and that takes you a long ways. Playing hard and playing tough takes you a long ways.”
The bench was so good that Nurse held back bringing back Pascal Siakam, who finished a game-high 33 points, up until under the four minute mark. The Raptors star hilariously admitted he was trying to get Nick Nurse to reinsert him but was largely ignored.
Siakam, jokingly, on watching the 4th-quarter crew make their run: “It was excited but then I was like, OK, am I gonna get in the game again or what's going on? I was looking at coach and he was trying not to make eye contact with me.”
No doubt that Siakam would take the win any day though as he entered the game with Toronto up eight after last exiting with his team down six to start the fourth quarter.
“It shows our fight,” the Raptors forward continued. We're relentless and we just want to continue to compete and get better as a team.”
The Toronto Raptors may not be poised for a championship run ala 2019, but safe to say any team that faces them in the postseason will have to scratch and claw for a series victory.
Follow Us
Subscribe