TORONTO — Peyton Watson scored a team-high 24 points for the Denver Nuggets and Brandon Ingram responded with a career-high 30 points as the Nikola Jokic-less Nuggets handed the Toronto Raptors a 106-103 loss on Wednesday.
Ingram hit an off-balance 3-pointer at the buzzer, but video review showed he still had the ball in his hand when the game clock expired at Scotiabank Arena.
Jokic suffered a hyperextended left knee in the final seconds of the Nuggets' road loss to the Miami Heat on Monday.
The victory stopped Denver's two-game slide (23-10) and snapped the Raptors' two-game winning streak (20-15).
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The Raptors trailed 63-54 at halftime but rallied with a 9-0 run to start the second half to tie the game. The game went back and forth from then on, but Toronto scored just five points in the final 4:39.
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Immanuel Quickley scored 22 points for Toronto, and Scottie Barnes had a triple-double with 20 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists.
The Raptors focused on protecting red-hot Canadian Jamal Murray, holding off the Kitchener, Ontario native, but he still managed to score 21 points. He came into the game with a 25.2 scoring average.
The game saw 16 lead changes and seven draws.
Takeaway
Raptors: In his third game back from a sprained right knee, Barrett's playing time increased to 25 minutes, during which he scored 17 points.
Nuggets: 6-foot-11 Jokic Jonas Valanciunas reached season highs in points (17) and minutes (23) and grabbed nine rebounds before leaving late in the third quarter with a right calf strain. The 33-year-old Lithuanian spent the first six-plus seasons of his career with the Raptors.
Key Point
Murray hit a break with 3:24 left to give the visitors a 101-98 lead and enough of a cushion to hold on.
Key Statistics
After riding off a 21-point deficit to win at home over the Orlando Magic on Monday, the Raptors overcame a 13-point deficit in the second quarter to make this game.
Next
Nuggets: Visit the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.
Raptors: Host the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 31, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
