The Denver Nuggets play again until the end against the Toronto Raptors and win again with 121-119.

The Denver Nuggets entered tonight's game against the Toronto Raptors short-handed and became even thinner almost immediately after the game began. Aaron Gordon left the team in the first quarter and did not return, while Jamal Murray never played from the start. This left Denver reliant on many of its younger players and found itself in a dogfight with the Raptors. The Nuggets trailed most of the game before coming back late in the fourth behind a monster triple-double from Nikola Jokic and surviving a buzzer-beater attempt that nearly wiped out Toronto. Nuggets win 121-119.

The Nuggets started with speed and good shots. Gordon and Russell Westbrook both knocked down three-pointers and Denver took an early lead. Toronto called a timeout and that cooled down the home team. After several turnovers, the Raptors were back within one point and the Nuggets lost to Gordon, who left the game with a so-called calf strain. The game remained close midway through the quarter and Denver was still playing sloppy. Sales were an issue throughout the quarter. The Raptors didn't hit many shots in half-game sets, but the turnovers gave them too many easy shots. Toronto's lead continued to grow as the quarter ended. After a timeout, the Nuggets refocused on not increasing their lead. The resurgent defense gave Denver a run, highlighted by a massive block from Hunter Tyson. At the end of one period, the Nuggets trailed 37-34.

From the baseline 📹 https://t.co/rC9iDYdxJu pic.twitter.com/4rlAZD3EVq

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) November 5, 2024

With Gordon out, Zeke Nnaji played a few minutes on the bench. They had enough energy to keep up with the young Raptors, but not with the Buckets. It wasn't a great transition from DeAndre Jordan, but he made up for it with a great block-to-dunk sequence. After a layup by Christian Braun, the Raptors called a timeout and led by just two. Denver then brought Jokic and Porter back into the game, but Gradey Dick blocked shots from outside. He continued to be a threat, scoring, blocking shots and diving for offensive rebounds. Denver stayed close late in the quarter but couldn't quite overcome the Raptors. Losses of turnovers simply killed the Nuggets throughout the first half. Heading into the locker room, they trailed 64-59.

Corner bucket 🪣 pic.twitter.com/M5zXeT6baB

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) November 5, 2024

The second half began with a familiar sight: Dick hit a three-pointer. The Raptors quickly extended their lead to double digits while Dick continued to get hot and the Nuggets couldn't make threes. As the lead increased to fourteen, Michael Malone called a timeout. Jokic asserted himself more offensively to stop the bleeding, and Denver picked up on their urgency. Braun began running down the field while Jokic punished Jakob Poetl low down. The Nuggets continued to chip away at the lead, but small mistakes kept them from getting close. They had problems especially on the defensive screen. Luckily, the Raptors went cold off the floor and Denver slowly closed the gap. Jokic and the bench finished the quarter experiencing some ups and downs. Still, Denver trailed by just five after three quarters.

CB jam 💥 pic.twitter.com/JIIDsnO4zt

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) November 5, 2024

The Nuggets opened Game 4 with Jokic on the bench and Denver predictably struggled to score, but Toronto couldn't do much either. The bench held serve and when Jokic returned after eight and a half minutes, the Raptors' lead was still five. However, offensive rebounds continued to kill Denver, as did Poetl. The Nuggets kept sneaking within a few possessions and then had a minute or two to watch the lead slip back into double digits. They had another run just after the quarter's halfway point, with Watson converting an and-1 to get within six points. Denver finally started to string together some stops while scoring. Julian Strawther pulled within two points after inflicting a shooting foul on Poetl, which was also his sixth foul. Denver had a chance to steal another game from Toronto before them, but they also ran out of time. After a Jokic steal and a Watson transition three-pointer, the Nuggets took the lead for the first time since the first quarter. The game went back and forth into the final minute. Denver had a one-point lead in the final moments and Strawther went to the free throw line but converted just one of two points to give Toronto the final shot. RJ Barrett hit an incredibly hard three-pointer from midway but bounced, and the Nuggets escaped with a 121-119 victory.

Got the W pic.twitter.com/zJbEc1Jizn

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) November 5, 2024

Lots of youth on the floor

Braun has been one of the best players for Denver this season and Watson is a regular in the rotation, but we got to see some of Denver's young and strong scheme work tonight. Braun continued to play well, Watson had his best game of the season, Julian Strawther is proving to be a bench option, and the Nuggets' other young, less heralded reserves also got some big minutes. Tyson still looks like a solid option for the big winger on the bench. His energy on the boards is much needed and he also had some solid defensive highlights. Nnaji also did well overall. Yes, he had a slight dunk, but it was solid. The youth combination also showed great defensive potential in the fourth round. With Braun, Strawther and Watson playing alongside Porter and Jokic, the Nuggets were able to switch things up on the perimeter and create turnovers.

So much self-inflicted pain

The Nuggets certainly didn't play their cleanest game tonight. The first half was characterized by ball loss after ball loss and the second half was brutal to watch on the defensive screen. But despite this and despite the depleted roster, Denver found a way to win. In some ways you want to give them a pass given their patchwork rotation, but then again a lot of the game was just pure sloppiness and a failure to do the basics. As they regained momentum in the fourth quarter, they got their first stops that turned the tide. The Nuggets can overcome these mistakes against a lottery team like the Raptors, but they need to be better, including the young players who will continue to be brought in as part of the depth.

Hopefully it's nothing serious for AG

Losing Gordon tonight doesn't hurt Denver in the end, but I can't imagine they can weather the storm without their top power forward for too long. Gordon plays such an important role in the dunker spot on offense for Denver and has also made great shots earlier in the year, adding a whole new element to the Nuggets' offense. A calf strain can have many causes, so I won't speculate. However, as long as Gordon isn't down, Denver will likely have to rely on the young strength more than they would like.