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Are the Nuggets okay?

Jamal Murray looks unwell and also played 40 minutes. The defense has regressed. The seed is safe but the future isn't.

Mar 15

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Good morning. Let’s basketball.

Minerva Fighting Mars, Jacque-Louis David, 1771

The middling Toronto Raptors, back home after spending most of the month on the road, having lost five of seven and fighting for a play-in spot in the East, gave up 30 points in the first quarter to the No. 1 seed Denver Nuggets … and had a 19-point lead.

The Raptors didn’t really do it by spamming threes either — they went a very good 6/9 from deep in the period, but scored more points (22 to 18) in the paint.

They attacked relentlessly, breaking Jamal Murray off the dribble and pulling Nikola Jokic into action. They hit the offensive glass hard, too.

The Nuggets found their pride in the second half and came most of the way back before dropping the rope again and losing by double digits. It’s the fourth straight loss for Denver, and while they are almost a lock to hold onto the No. 1 seed in the West, this isn’t how you want to slide into April.

So what’s wrong?...