(Denver) Jamal Murray scored 24 points as the Denver Nuggets beat the Toronto Raptors 118-113 on Monday.
Facing the best club in the West, the Raptors were excellent for the vast majority of the game.
More or less, they seemed to have the answer until the last minute of the last quarter, marked by two questionable decisions at their expense.
With 56 seconds on the clock, the officials found Scottie Barnes at fault against Nikola Jokic, on a sequence where the Serb seemed to crash.
Jokic then had two free throws, bringing the score to 114-113 Denver.
Seven seconds later, the referees overturned what was first called a foul against Jokic, at Barnes’ expense.
Free throws could have turned the tide, but the consultation in favor of the Nuggets led to a face-off, won by the local club.
The game then eluded the visitors, who were trying to bring their yield to .500 this season.
After a foul by Jakob Poeltl, comments from Barnes caused head umpire Scott Foster to eject the second-year player.
The Nuggets then made the finishing touches with four free throws, improving their home record to 30-4, the best in the NBA.
A total of 20 fouls were awarded to the Raptors, compared to 12 for the Nuggets.
Ontario’s Murray had five 3-pointers – one more than teammate Michael Porter, who had 20 points. Aaron Gordon added 19 points and Jokic 17.
Fred VanVleet led the Raptors with 21 points, two more than Pascal Siakam.
VanVleet also dazzled with 14 assists, while Barnes and Poeltl each had nine rebounds.
Poelt had 18 points, five more than Gary Trent. Barnes and OG Anunoby added 12 each.
The Raptors led 34-29 after one quarter, 61-58 after two and 88-83 after three.
They were at the controls for more than 44 minutes.
Ninth in the East, the Raptors (32-34) will replay Wednesday night in Los Angeles against the Clippers. They will visit the Lakers on Friday night.
