Nuggets' hotline bling, takes them to Toronto to face Raptors

After an encouraging start to the season that saw the Denver Nuggets go 6-5 through their first 11 games, the treacherous part of Denver’s schedule finally hit, and boy did it hit hard.

The Nuggets have now lost eight straight and the going doesn’t get any easier tonight as they head to Toronto and take on Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and the Toronto Raptors.

Over the course of this eight-game losing streak, the Nuggets have been, well, there’s no way to put this… horrible. During the streak, Denver has the second-worst offensive rating in the league at 93.3 points per 100 possessions, just 0.3 points above the Philadelphia 76ers. And they’re shooting 40.5 percent from the field, the lowest mark in the league.

On defense, things aren’t much better. Denver’s allowing opponents to shoot 41.8 percent from 3-point range during the streak, trailing the Phoenix Suns for the worst mark in the league by just 0.1 percent, and a blistering 47 percent from the field.

Harris returns (Update, 10:42 a.m.): Harris is still out due to the concussion)

Gary Harris should be set to return from a concussion he suffered back on Nov. 27 against the Spurs. The Nuggets broadcast crew announced Harris had cleared concussion protocol and returned to practice prior to yesterday’s game in Chicago. Having Harris back to defend against the dynamic backcourt that is Lowry and DeRozan will help plug up some, but not all of the defensive holes that have been exposed over the last few games.

Mudiay still searching for his shot

Over the last eight games, Emmanuel Mudiay is shooting 34-110 (30.9 percent) from the field and 4-21 (19 percent) from 3-point range. What’s more frustrating is that somehow his shot from an aesthetic standpoint looks worse than it did earlier in the year. Let’s not panic though. There’s a ton of other factors right now that have to do with his lack of success shooting the rock.

Spacing has been a huge deterrent for the Nuggets offense because there’s simply no one that the defense needs to respect from the perimeter. The Nugget most potent deep threat, Danilo Gallinari is having a disastrous year shooting the ball and putting up career low percentages from the field. With no threats off the ball, the defense can focus in on whoever has the ball for the Nuggets, and the majority of the time, it’s Mudiay. The silver lining is Mudiay is shooting better in the restricted area. He’s up to 50 percent, nearly seven percentage points better than his season average of 43.1 percent, according to NBA.com.

Nuggets and Raptors are both “going back to back”

Sing it with me now!

“Oh man, oh man, not again, not again.” 

The Nuggets are 0-3 on back-to-backs and the Raptors are 2-2 when playing two straight nights. Denver is of course coming off 99-90 loss against the Chicago Bulls in a game the Nuggets were in for the better part of three-and-a-half quarters while the Raptors are coming home to the six fresh off a 96-86 win in Atlanta. All hands need to be on deck if Denver hopes to end the streak before they fly to Philadelphia and play the 76ers Saturday night.

Skinny Kyle Lowry is a thing

After another summer of rumors came and went about Lowry supposedly shedding weight, it seems like he’s actually staying slim and the results are evident. Lowry is averaging a career high 20.7 points per game, playing a robust 35.3 minutes per game and looked quicker and more agile than last year.

Cory Joseph, the super sub

After winning a ring with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014, Cory Joseph took his talents to Toronto and has been brilliant for the Raptors coming off the bench this season. He’s averaging 9.3 points per game and shooting above 50 percent from the field for the second straight year. The Raptors defense also falls apart without him. Toronto allows 95.7 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, but when he’s on the bench, that number sky rockets to 102.9. Expect CoJo to close the game for Toronto if Denver is able to stay in it for four quarters.

Injury Report

Jusuf Nurkic – OUT – Left Patellar Tendon Repair

Wilson Chandler – OUT – Right Hip Arthroscopic Surgery

Jonas Valanciunas – OUT – Fractured Left Hand