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 After his performance Monday, it will be hard to keep the center off
the court the rest of the year.
Jokic had a career night with 27 points and 14 rebounds, and the
Denver Nuggets snapped Toronto's 11-game winning streak with a
112-93 win over the Raptors on Monday night.
Jokic set season highs in points and rebounds.
"What a performance," Denver coach Michael Malone said. "Every time
I think he's kind of maxed out for his rookie season, he finds a way
to keep on impressing me.
"You can talk about some of these other young bigs, who are all
talented, and I wouldn't trade him for anybody in the world. He's a
special young man and a special young talent. He's only going to get
better as he gets stronger."
Nuggets guard Will Barton scored 16 of his 20 points in the fourth
quarter as Denver pulled away for an easy win.
Guard DeMar DeRozan scored 24 points for the Raptors, who absorbed
their first loss since falling at Cleveland on Jan. 4.
The 11-game winning streak was a franchise record. The Raptors won
four in a row on the road and then swept a seven-game homestand that
concluded Saturday.
Toronto coach Dwane Casey wasn't happy with his team's effort
Monday. He crumpled up the box score in front of the players after
the game and suggested they "wipe our (butts) with it," guard Kyle
Lowry said.
"That describes this night for us," Lowry added. "We just didn't
have it tonight and they kicked our (butts)."
Monday's win marked the second time the Nuggets snapped a streak by
beating the Raptors. They had lost eight in a row before winning in
Toronto on Dec. 3.
"It says a lot about this team when we have the right motivation,"
said Denver forward Danilo Gallinari, who scored 13 points. "We've
got to find a way to do it every night and not just when the
motivation is a good challenge."
The game was tied at 28 at the end of the first quarter, but Denver
took control by outscoring the Raptors 32-21 in the second. The
Nuggets shot 54 percent in the first half to take a 60-49 lead into
the locker room. Jokic had 15 points and seven rebounds in just 15
first-half minutes.
Jokic scored eight points in the final 4:25 of the third quarter to
help the Nuggets expand the lead to 80-65 going into the fourth.
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It was another in a string of good games for the 20-year-old
Serbian. He now has four double-doubles in his past five games and
seven overall.
"When I came here I didn't think I would play," he said. "Now I have
trust from the coach."
Any hopes of a Raptors comeback ended in the first few minutes of
the final quarter. Barton scored the first eight points of the
fourth to make the score 88-65, and guard Randy Foye, who had 16
points, hit two 3-pointers to make it 97-70.
"You can describe it any way you want to, that was a stinker," Casey
said. "That was one of our worst performances of the year. We played
like we were playing in mud. You can blame it on the altitude,
whatever it was. We stunk."
Raptors forward James Johnson left the game in the second quarter
with a sprained left ankle and did not return. Johnson was hurt on a
collision with Gallinari near half-court with 3:27 left in the first
half. He left the court with assistance.
NOTES: Raptors coach Dwane Casey was selected the Eastern Conference
coach of the month. Casey guided Toronto to a 12-2 mark in January,
which included an 11-game winning streak to end the month. "It's a
great honor for the coaching staff," Casey said. "It's a compliment
to the 15 (players) in the room." ... Nuggets G Jameer Nelson was
out with a sore left wrist. Nelson missed six games after sustaining
the injury against Miami on Jan. 15. He returned Thursday at
Washington but aggravated the ailment in the overtime loss at
Indiana on Saturday. ... Because of the All-Star break and the
current five-game road trip, Toronto will not play at home again
until Feb. 21. ... Denver C Joffrey Lauvergne was active despite
nursing a sore right toe. He scored four points in three minutes.
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