Denver has its own frontcourt problem, and it's newer. Cam Johnson had just come back from a right ankle sprain he suffered in the opener at Oklahoma City, and then he grabbed his left hamstring with 1:10 left in the Portland loss. David Adelman didn't have an update afterward. Spencer Jones (hamstring) and Julian Strawther (knee) were already out, so the Nuggets are low on wings and forwards as well.
Clippers125-118
The way Denver lost to Portland is what should bother Nuggets fans. They led 31-19 after 1 quarter, lost every quarter after that and scored just 44 after halftime. Portland grabbed 21 offensive rebounds and took 15 more shots than Denver. Donovan Clingan had 17 and 18 and beat Jokic in the paint. Jamal Murray scored 35 and Jokic had 26, so the stars weren't the problem. The defense and the effort on the glass collapsed. Denver is 1-2 at Ball Arena, which is not the home-court edge this team is used to having.
So it comes down to 2 thin rosters. Toronto doesn't have a healthy center to send at Jokic, and Denver may not have enough forwards to stop Barnes from driving downhill. If the Nuggets clean up the defensive rebounding and Murray stays hot, Jokic should have plenty of room against this lineup. If the second-half fade from Monday shows up again, the Raptors have already shown on this trip that they'll keep coming late.
