It took a village. It took another tremendous performance by Nikola Jokic. It took an undermanned opponent that lost its superstar to injury in the closing minutes.

But a win is a win, and the Denver Nuggets finally got their first one, winning 127-125 in overtime vs the Toronto Raptors.

The Nuggets trailed the Raptors by double digits heading into the final few minutes of regulation. Denver never quit though, led by the consistent, incessant scoring of Nikola Jokic. His 40 points, scored as efficiently as ever, were absolutely essential in Denver’s closing run. Jokic scored 10 of his 40 in the fourth quarter, getting a helping hand from a Christian Braun three, a Russell Westbrook transition layup, and other plays along the way.

After a couple trips with missed free throws, the Raptors led by just two points with nine seconds to go. Denver got the ball to Jokic, but the pass from Murray was bad, so Jokic turned it into a dribble hand-off with Murray, who hesitated before driving baseline and putting up a sweet reverse layup right before the buzzer sounded.

Right before overtime, Jokic accidentally elbowed Scottie Barnes in the face while the two jostled for a rebound. Barnes went back to the locker room and was unable to play the end of the fourth quarter or overtime. Barnes had 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists. He would have made a difference, as potentially would Immanuel Quickley, Bruce Brown, or Kelly Olynk, all of whom sat out this game.

But the Raptors wouldn’t be denied, staying attached in overtime despite the Nuggets jumping out to a quick lead. RJ Barrett and Gradey Dick nearly won it for Toronto.

Ultimately though, it wasn’t meant to be for Toronto. A late Barrett pull-up three-pointer clanked off the rim, and the Nuggets escaped Toronto with a victory.

Winning Ugly is still Winning

Michael Malone said after Denver’s Saturday loss that there are no moral victories or silver linings, that the Nuggets need wins. He got exactly what he asked for. There are no moral victories here, but the Nuggets clung on to win anyway.

Jokic was tremendous as noted above. 40 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists to go with one steal and two blocks. He shot 18-of-27 from the field and attempted just two free throws. It was an absolute grind, but Jokic’s shotmaking kept Denver in a game they had no business winning.

Murray hit the clutch layup to force overtime, but he still shot 6-of-20 from the field and just 0-2 from three. Murray attempting eighteen two-pointers to just a couple three-pointers is concerning for a Nuggets team that needs spacing desperately.

Michael Porter Jr. hit his first three-pointer of the game and found a way to stay engaged on drives, cuts, and offensive rebounds. Unfortunately, his first three was also the last three he hit, going 1-of-4.

Christian Braun tied Murray for the second most points on the team and continues to be reliable in his minutes. The Nuggets have needed his scoring and slashing a surprising amount through three games, and he has delivered. He even hit a clutch three to keep the score close in the fourth quarter.

Aaron Gordon started the game with a high number of turnovers but worked his way into a really impressive stat line. He had to contend with Barnes for much of the game but made it work with 16 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, and three stocks, leading the team in plus-minus.

Unfortunately, the bench still needs some work. Julian Strawther shot 3-of-3 today and needs to find more shots where he can. Russell Westbrook was better today, under more control. His defense has been a value add for the Nuggets this season. The offense will (hopefully) continue to follow suit.

Dario Saric was only able to play five minutes today, and they were a really bad five minutes. The missed layups, defensive miscues, and turnovers were enough for Malone to go to Gordon at backup center in the fourth quarter. That move made the Nuggets a lot more athletic and physical defensively which kept them in it.

Was it the greatest game I’ve ever seen? Absolutely not. But a win is a win, and the Nuggets needed it desperately. Finally being able to celebrate a win may help the Nuggets get on track mentally.

They will need it, traveling to Brooklyn for a back-to-back tomorrow night.

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