The Nuggets are back in Toronto this time. After a loss to the Timberwolves in their first preseason game, we hope to see a bit more of this rebuilt team. With Toronto bringing one of the most explosive young rosters to the table, this should be a fun matchup.
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This will be the first time we’ve seen the new Toronto. They added Brandon Ingram last year and then Collin Murray-Boyles through the draft. With the addition of those two, Toronto's roster building is clear—long, versatile wings are their priority. It’s not a bad move, but how all these players fit together will be the interesting part.
The Nuggets, on the other hand, are one of the most interesting rosters in the league. They made some key additions with Cameron Johnson, Jonas Valanciunas, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Bruce Brown to fill out the role player positions. While this game probably won’t showcase the full power of this team, we’ll at least get a glimpse. The starters played about 15 minutes in their last game, which I expect to see again. This will be a great test for Toronto, though.
Tonorto is going to have a lot to figure out early this season. The fit between Ingram, Barns, and Barrett is going to be interesting. Pair that with their lack of pure playmakers, and we may witness some growing pains.
In terms of the matchup, it’s a bit hard to pin down. Since the starts are likely only to play a quarter or maybe two, you’ve got to focus on the rotation players. For Toronto, they’ll rely heavily on their younger talent to get things done late in the game. Meanwhile, Denver has a good mix of young and veteran players closing out for them. I believe that extra experience on the bench will be enough for the Nuggets to win this one in Toronto. That’s why I’m going with the Nuggets moneyline, the under on the 224 points total, and the Denver spread at +1.
Money line: DEN (-105) / TOR (-115)
Total Points: 224
Spread: +1 DEN (-110) / -1 TOR (-110)
Barrett should see a decent amount of playing time tonight. Even though he won’t be the main rebounder, he’s still been effective at grabbing boards. It’ll be interesting to see where he ends up on the floor with the addition of Brandon Ingram. But either way, 4 boards is well within his range.
Gordon performed well in his first preseason game against the Timberwolves, going perfect on his shots during his 15 minutes on the court. I expect Gordon to continue converting high-percentage looks like he did all last year. So even if he ends up leaving the court early again, he should still be able to score, especially against Barnes and Ingram.
Johnson’s first game as a Nugget didn’t go great. He was missing shots left and right trying to adjust to his new team. However, I’m not going to let that first game discourage me about him. He’s still an elite shooter, and if he finds his rhythm from three, 10 points will be easy. I could also see him get a little more time on the court tonight to gel in the offense more.