Nuggets 106, Raptors 105
TORONTO -- Guard Will Barton scored 22 points, forward Danilo Gallinari added 21, and the Denver Nuggets held on to defeat the Toronto Raptors 106-105 Thursday to end an eight-game losing streak.
Forward Darrell Arthur added 19 points for the Nuggets (7-13), while center Joffrey Lauvergne scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Guard Randy Foye added 12 points for Denver.
Guard DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors (12-8) with 34 points. Guard Kyle Lowry added 16 points and eight assists, while guard Cory Joseph had 15 and forward DeMarre Carroll 10.
The Raptors, who trailed by as many as 18 points, reduced Denver's lead to two points twice in the fourth quarter. Lowry's 3-pointer at the final buzzer reduced the final score to a one-point margin.
The Denver lead was three with 11 seconds to play. Foye then made two free throws with 8.8 seconds left for a five-point lead.
Carroll hit a 3-pointer with 3.3 seconds left to cut the margin to two points. Barton made two free throws with 2.4 seconds left. Denver was 18-for-18 from the line.
The Nuggets led by as many as 16 points during the first quarter and took a 29-19 lead into the second quarter.
Denver took an 18-point lead with 5:36 left in the second quarter on a layup by center Nikola Jokic. The Raptors whittled the lead to nine on two free throws by center Bismack Biyombo. The Nuggets led 56-42 after the first half. DeRozan led all scorers with 15 at the half.
It was the second game in a row in which the Raptors trailed by 14 at the half. They came back on Wednesday to defeat the Hawks in Atlanta.
Arthur's 3-pointer opened the third quarter, and then the Raptors went on an 11-0 run to trim the lead to six. The Nuggets answered with an 8-0 run.
Gallinari's 3-pointer put the Nuggets into a 16-point lead with 3:16 left in the third, and Denver led 81-71 entering the fourth quarter.
Lowry hit a pair of free throws to cut the lead to four, and Joseph's driving layup cut the deficit to 90-88 with 5:23 to play. The Nuggets scored the next six points.
NOTES: Denver F Kenneth Faried (sprained left ankle) did not play Thursday after scoring 14 points and grabbing nine rebounds in the loss at Chicago on Wednesday. He returned Saturday against Dallas after missing three games with the ankle injury that he aggravated Wednesday. ... G Gary Harris (concussion) missed his fourth straight game. ... Toronto F James Johnson (left Achilles), who did not play in the win over the Hawks on Wednesday, was available off the bench. ... Nuggets coach Michael Malone is the son of Brendan Malone, the first coach of the Raptors. ... The Raptors' next game is Saturday at home against the Golden State Warriors. The Nuggets visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday to end a five-game trip.