The Denver Nuggets couldn't muster up much on offense in the first quarter and now they trail 27-22 against the Toronto Raptors going into the second quarter. Toronto initially had little trouble scoring against a porous Denver defense that struggled to force a weak offensive team to take hard shots, but Denver will need to improve its shooting.
Denver's defense improved later in the quarter, holding the Raptors to 1-of-6 shooting from the floor after a 9-of-15 start, but they also failed to force a single turnover. Meanwhile, the Nuggets shot just 36 percent from the field themselves while turning the ball over five times. A dominant 14-5 rebounding advantage is the main reason that the game is still close.
Arron Afflalo, Wilson Chandler and JaVale McGee lead the Nuggets with five points apiece. Andrea Bargnani has 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting to lead Toronto.
For more on this matchup, check out the Raptors blog Raptors HQ and the Nuggets blogDenver Stiffs. Tune in to SB Nation's NBA news hub for more updates and commentary from around the league.