The Denver Nuggets lost a physical game to the Raptors 101-97 despite some good efforts across the board. Denver gave a good effort, but there was a 19-0 scoring stretch from Toronto in the third quarter that cost the Nuggets the game when they could neither defend nor score and the lack of true point guards in roster construction showed itself. There were a couple of incidents in the fourth quarter, one where Denver’s Boo Buie was shouldered into the scorer’s table on a loose ball and had to leave the game, and the other a few minutes later where EJ Liddell came down on a Raptors player with an elbow during a defensive play and was ejected for a Flagrant 2.
The actual basketball game was hard-fought and good though, with the players Denver wanted to play well doing so. Curtis Jones led Denver’s scorers with 20 points, while Spencer Jones added 13 and had some nice defensive plays. DaRon Holmes had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds while Tamar Bates scored 13 and had 3 steals. For the Raptors, Ja’Kobe Walter had 26 points, AJ Lawson added 19 and Jamal Shead had 16 points and 8 assists as Toronto held Denver to 13 assists against 24 turnovers and that provided the difference in the game.
Holmes looked like a rotation player though, Spencer Jones looked like a good 3-and-D option on that two-way he has, and both Tamar Bates and Curtis Jones looked like backcourt options that Denver could invest in with G League minutes. Denver got the performances it needed from the players it is looking hardest at, and that’s what important in Summer League.
Game Flow
Toronto came out with energy on both ends, but the first bucket went to DaRon Holmes on a three off a tip-out from Spencer Jones. Castleton hit a pull-up from Toronto, Harrison made a free throw for Denver, and Holmes stayed active on the defensive boards and moving the ball around on offense and getting free throws for Spencer Jones. There was a scramble for some loose balls and Battle hit a 3 for Toronto, but the turnovers under pressure from Denver with 4 in the first 3+ minutes made it tougher on the Nuggets. Harrison forced Toronto’s Castleton into a travel, but Tamar Bates couldn’t make a pullup on the other end and Holmes missed a 3 to leave it at 6-5 Denver early.
Bates did a good job against pressure for a pull-up three for the Nuggets, answered by the Raptors. EJ Liddell hit a step-back, but the Raptors challenged every possession, even employing a full-court press at times. Denver answered by playing more zone on their end and trying to screen in the back-court. Curtis Jones struggled with the aggressive defense, and in response Denver passed big-to-big to get to the rim. Williams got a couple of free throws out of it, and Liddell swatted a ball out of bounds on the other end. Curtis Jones had back-and-forth with Boo Buie on the perimeter passing and nailed three-pointer at the end of the exchange for a 16-11 Denver lead. Denver showed quick hands on defense, especially Williams, and Holmes came back in and immediate buried a corner 3. Curtis Jones beat the press and drove the hoop for a tough bank finish, then Denver forced a turnover of their own. Buie launched a long three that connected, Walter answered for Toronto from deep, and Liddell got called for an offensive screening foul. Holmes chased down another defensive rebound, but couldn’t made a three while Walter made another for the Raptors, and Williams got to the foul line in the final seconds to put Denver up 25-21 after one thanks to a great block at the three-point line from Liddell.
Shed made a push shot for Toronto to open the second quarter scoring. Donovan Williams got to the line after being fouled shooting a three, and Walter and Buie traded threes. Williams leapt for a rebound and the ball got to Buie for another 3. Buie and Spencer Jones both missed their next threes, and Bates led a transition attempt that Harrison turned over out of bounds. Liddell Had another block, this time at the rim, but Battle hit a three over Bates from the corner for Toronto. Bates hit a turnaround jumper in response though and Holmes got out in transition for a dunk to make it 38-31 Denver.
Toronto made a layup, Holmes missed a three, but Denver forced a bad shot the other way. The Raptors were called for a flagrant foul on Hepburn for a trip and Liddell took a pair of free throws. Tamar Bates got a steal and dunk finish for Denver, but the Nuggets botched an oop to Liddell. Beekman had a great near-steal for Denver, but got called for a travel on the other end after Lawson hit a Toronto 3. Liddell missed a long three, but Spencer Jones got a turnover with quick hands and then finished in transition through contact. Liddell blocked his fourth shot in the waning seconds, and Denver went in up 44-39 at the half.
The Nuggets struggled against the Toronto pressure to open the second half, committing and in-bounds turnover, but Beekman made a nice turnaround and Holmes had a great steal off a deflection. Shead hit a nice runner for the Raptors, Beekman answered with a banked layup, but Shead finished through contact from Spencer Jones for another push finish. Shead hit a 3, Holmes had his attempt at an answer blocked, and the Raptors took the lead for the first time at 51-48 off a Murray-Boyles three and a 10-0 run. The teams traded turnovers, Bates missed a tough paint finish for Denver but Holmes got fouled on a shot and got to the line and missed both as well as a putback attempt. Denver just couldn’t buy an easy bucket through the Raptors’ defense while Toronto made a line drive 3, then dunked a steal to make it 55-48 Toronto.
Denver finally broke the run at 19-0 because of a goaltend call, then got free throws from Beekman. Denver committed their 17th turnover against just 5 assists but it turned into a Raptor airball. Liddell made a late-clock jumper, Toronto dunked in response, and Liddell got back to the line for Denver. Denver got a block but even that turned into a three for Toronto as everything went their way in the third quarter. Liddell missed a finish but Williams got a steal and transition finish as Denver tried to stay in touch. The Raptors hit a last second three banked in off the glass though as they went to the fourth up 73-62.
Buie got racked up against the scorer’s table on a rough play to start the final frame, and then Liddell came over to jaw at the Raptors – this is not the kind of contest where guys need to get hurt on these job interviews. Martin shouldered Buie into the table but and was ruled a flagrant play as Buie had to leave the game. Williams made both free throws, but Spencer Jones missed a three and Curtis Jones traveled on the putback. Beekman had a nice transition dunk and then Curtis Jones finished a layup off a rebound to cut the deficit to 5. Shead had a nice floater for Toronto, answered by Curtis Jones, but Castleton had a paint jumper for the Raptors. Each team missed threes, Holmes missed a 3 too, and Denver turned it over again. Shead finished past Liddell then broke up an oop attempt to Holmes that was tried too late, and Curtis Jones missed both Holmes on the roll as well as the push shot he attempted. EJ Liddell then caught Walter with an elbow in a terrible attempt at either defense or retribution that got him a flagrant-2 and an ejection. When play finally restarted it was 81-71 Toronto with just over 6 minutes to go. Holmes got to the line after being fouled about three times, but then his pass attempt to Bates resulted in a block against Bates and a finish by the raptors to go up 12.
Curtis Jones had a nice finish in transition, then Holmes had another nice steal and started a transition that finished with a Bates bucket. After a Toronto bucket, Spencer Jones finished a nice play through contact. Denver couldn’t stop Toronto from going to the bucket for easy finishes though, and Bates got blocked by Shead. Curtis Jones got the ball on the carom and made a three, and Bates made one the next time down to cut it to 4. Bates took a too-soon long three that he bricked but Spencer Jones cut it back to 4 with a three in the final minute. Then the Nuggets fouled immediately and the Raptors only made one, while Spencer Jones hit another 3 to cut it to 2. Holmes grabbed a great rebound on a missed free throw, then Beekman got himself to the line for Denver and made both to cut it to one. The Nuggets could not get the final stop and had a foolish away-from-the-ball foul to go down 4 and lost 101-97.
Final Thoughts
– It’s funny seeing real defense for the second game in a row in Summer League. It’s not something that’s normally a part of the league because everybody has generally understood that low-scoring turnover-fests are not how you get highlights to get your two-way or hook on with a team in Europe. It’s interesting to see the change that maybe it IS how defenders can show they actually do defend and can fill that role for someone. Toronto came out with extremely physical defense and Denver had a bunch of early turnovers, but they got back on defense also to prevent easy scores. Reece Beekman, Spencer Jones, Tamar Bates, DaRon Holmes, Donovan Williams and EJ Liddell made for some great Denver defense that gave them the halftime lead. Denver didn’t come out with the same intensity to the second half and got run in the third quarter, but the first half was a nice show and Denver finished hard. Good rebounds, some blocks, excellent recoveries and playing with their heads up. Denver really fought through that defensive contact and effort and provided some needed highlights for several players.
– It wasn’t enough to change my mind about the last two-way role. The second half drought where the Raptors absolutely blasted the Nuggets is why I don’t think the final two-way spot is on Denver’s summer league squad. Just not enough in either offensive explosion or defensively game-changing impact to give that last contract to a too-short front court player like Liddell (especially after his incredibly foolish ejection that will probably end his attempt to get back into the league this summer), a wing defender like Williams who is struggling to shoot and finish, or a shooter like Curtis Jones or Boo Buie at this time.
Curtis Jones wrapped up with a really nice scoring game and had some nice rebounds surprisingly, but Denver’s inability to get assists in the game haunted them – and at his size it’s tough to be just a scorer when the ball is in his hands. Still this is a job audition as much as a league game, and several guys had nice first-half resume efforts as they try to hook on around the league or show the Nuggets they are worth an early call-up in case of need during the season. I would like to see Curtis Jones especially on the Gold roster this year as he works on the combo part of his game.
