The Denver Nuggets didn't let their two-game losing streak ruin their return to the Pepsi Center on Monday night. They defeated the Toronto Raptors, 123-90. J.R. Smith fell two assists short of a triple-double. His final line was 13 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and two steals. Ty Lawson scored a game-high 23 points and also finished with eight assists.
In addition to Lawson and Smith, the Nuggets had five other scorers in double digits. Of the starters, Nene added 18 points, Wilson Chandler scored 12 and Kenyon Martin finished with 11. Off the bench, All Harrington contributed 15 points and Gary Forbes received enough time on the court to score 14. Even Timofey Mozgov and Kosta Koufos received playing time. The former scored five points while the latter pulled own three rebounds.
It was a good night defensively, as Chris Andersen had five of the team's 10 blocks and six players combined for nine steals. With Arron Afflalo out for the next few games with a hamstring injury, Danilo Gallinari started on Monday night and grabbed seven boards. Chandler pulled down eight rebounds.
Andrea Bargnani led the Raptors with 20 points and Reggie Evans had a team-high nine rebounds. The Raptors got to the free throw line only 18 times (the Nuggets were there 37 times).
The Nuggets (42-29, 28-7 home) host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night in a nationally televised game on ESPN.