Nuggets at Raptors
The streaking Denver Nuggets look to carry over the momentum of a five-game winning streak as they kick off a six-game road trip with a Sunday visit to Toronto to take on the Raptors. Denver is enjoying its hottest stretch of the season but the Nuggets are just 3-4 on the road and though their upcoming opponents have a combined record of 37-65, guard Nate Robinson told the Denver Post the squad is focused. "We don't look at records; we just look at teams we need to win against."
Toronto has lost two straight and lies three games under .500 but enters play in possession of first place in the Atlantic Division. The Raptors hung in there against the stalwart Miami Heat on Friday but ultimately fell 90-83, leaving coach Dwayne Casey lamenting what could have been. "Missed opportunities," he told the Toronto Star. "There were a lot of opportunities we didn't cash in on."
TV: 1 p.m. ET, Altitude (Denver), Sportsnet 360 (Toronto)
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (9-6): After the showdown in Toronto, Denver's road trip is filled with early season also-rans in Brooklyn, Boston, Cleveland, Philadelphia and Washington but coach Brian Shaw says that doesn't matter. "We can't look at that," he said. "We just have to look at the fact that we're on the road. Any team can beat any other team on any given night in this league." Ty Lawson leads the Nuggets, averaging 20.9 points and his 8.3 assists per game is among the league's leaders.
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (6-9): Toronto's offense revolves around DeMar DeRozan and Rudy Gay, with the duo combining to average upwards of 41 points. DeRozan is particularly hot of late, averaging 28 points over the last six games. Against Miami, however, Casey pointed to the defense, or lack thereof, as the key factor, saying, "You can't let a team shoot 57 percent even if they are the world champions - it doesn't matter."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Nuggets and Raptors have split the season series at a game apiece in each of the last two seasons, with the home team winning all four times.
2. Toronto has lost four of its last five at home, falling to 3-5 at the Air Canada Centre on the year.
3. Denver has eclipsed the 100-point mark in all but one road game thus far, averaging 106 points away from home.