Tonight, the Toronto Raptors are facing the defending NBA champions the Denver Nuggets in Denver.
The last time both teams faced each other was on Dec. 20, 2023. Denver beat Toronto in a 113-104 victory.
Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Dennis Schroder, Otto Porter Jr., Thaddeus Young, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn were members of the Raptors. Now they are in different teams.
Toronto decided to rebuild two weeks after this game. The game against Denver wasn’t the reason why The Raptors decided to rebuild but it was part of the reason.
That game was during Toronto’s five-game losing streak. After the Nuggets game, the Raptors lost four of the next five games until Toronto decided to rebuild.
The plan is to build the team around Scottie Barnes and get a good position to get a high lottery pick.
Toronto did have a chance to compete in the Play-in tournament. The Atlanta Hawks lost Trae Young for the rest of the season with an injury.
Unfortunately, it’s not going to happen since it was announced that both Barnes and Jakob Poeltl are out with injuries for the rest of the season.
The bad news keeps on coming as it was announced that Immanuel Quickley, Chris Boucher, and Gary Trent Jr. are out for tonight’s game.
On the bright side, RJ Barrett can play tonight despite having an illness. Raptor fans can also watch Nikola Jokic and Canadian Jamal Murray play tonight.
Despite Toronto getting hit by the injury bug, this could be an opportunity for guys like Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji and Javon Freeman-Liberty.
If they play well while Quickley, Boucher, and Trent recover from their injury, Freeman-Liberty, Agbaji, and Dick could secure a more prominent position the rest of the season and maybe perhaps next season.
What does the Raptors game mean for the Nuggets?
For the Nuggets, they are looking to become back-to-back NBA champions after winning their first championship in franchise history.
And a win tonight gets Denver a step closer to getting their goals accomplished. A win tonight also gets the Nuggets a step closer to the first seed.
The Oklahoma City Thunder currently have the first seed with a record of 45-19 while Denver’s record is currently 44-20.
Whatever happens, tonight, the Raptors vs Nuggets game should be a fun one regardless of the outcome.
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