Denver Nuggets vs Toronto Raptors Prediction, 12/20/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Denver Nuggets vs Toronto Raptors

Date: Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Location: Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON

TV: TSN

The Toronto Raptors (11-15) host the Denver Nuggets (18-10) at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday.

The Nuggets played the Mavericks and went home with a win by a final score of 130-104 in their last game. Denver ended with a 56.3% FG percentage (49 out of 87) and buried 14 out of their 26 shots from distance. When they shot from the free throw line, the Nuggets buried 18 of 22 tries for a rate of 81.8%. When it comes to hauling in rebounds, they compiled 46 with 9 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 29 assists for the game as well as forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and having 7 steals. In terms of defense, Denver allowed the other team to go 44.6% from the floor on 41 out of 92 shooting. Dallas recorded 19 dimes and had 2 steals for the game. On top of that, Dallas grabbed 43 rebounds (15 offensive, 28 defensive) and added 4 blocks. Dallas finished the game shooting 47.4% when shooting free throws by knocking down 9 of 19 shots. They also knocked down 13 of their 38 attempts from beyond the arc. In relation to fouls, the Nuggets ended up finishing with 19 while the Mavericks finished the game with 20 fouls.

Jamal Murray is a player who played a role for this contest. Murray went 57.1% from the floor and earned 2 assists. He played 25 mins and also totaled 4 rebounds. He totaled 22 points on 8 of 14 shooting.

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Denver will enter this game with a win-loss mark of 18-10 for the year. They average 115.3 pts per contest (15th in the league) while shooting 49.0% from the floor. The Nuggets are connecting on 37.4% from downtown (328 of 878) and 72.9% from the free throw line. As a team, Denver is pulling down 44.6 boards per contest and has accounted for 830 dimes for the season, which ranks 1st in basketball in terms of passing the rock. They turn the ball over 12.3 times per game and as a team are committing 19.1 fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Nuggets are forcing their opponents into 12.5 turnovers per game and they draw 19.3 personal fouls. They are 19th in the league in giving up assists with 690 surrendered this season. The Nuggets defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 46.2% (1,131 of 2,450) and they relinquish 42.9 boards per contest as a squad. They concede 35.7% on shots from downtown while they are 5th in basketball in PPG allowed (110.5).

In their last game, the Raptors went home victorious with a score of 114-99 when they played the Hornets. The Raptors were able to collect 36 defensive boards and 15 offensive rebounds for a total of 51 for this contest. They gave up possession of the ball 17 times, while earning 4 steals for the contest. The Hornets committed 19 personal fouls for this contest which got the Raptors to the free throw line for a total of 22 attempts. They were able to convert 18 of them for a percentage of 81.8%. In regard to shooting from beyond the arc, Toronto buried 8 of 29 attempts (27.6%). When the game finished, the Raptors ended up shooting 44 for 86 from the floor which gave them a rate of 51.2%. The Raptors allowed the Hornets to make 39 out of 89 attempts from the field which left them shooting 43.8% for the contest. They wrapped up this game 25.0% from beyond the arc by shooting 8 of 32 and ended up shooting 13 out of 13 at the charity stripe (100.0%). When it comes to cleaning up the glass, Toronto allowed Charlotte to snag 36 in total (10 on the offensive glass).

Pascal Siakam ended up being important for the Raptors in this matchup. Siakam earned 27 points in his 36 minutes on the court and had 8 dimes for this contest. He buried 11 of 16 for the matchup for a field goal rate of 68.8%, and had 8 rebounds.

Toronto has a win-loss mark of 11-15 for the year. The Raptors have committed 18.6 personal fouls per contest and they shoot 72.9% from the free throw line. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 29.0 times per contest (3rd in the NBA) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 14.3 times per game. Toronto has totaled 2,926 points this year (112.5 per game) and they average 45.3 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Raptors are hitting on 47.2% from the floor, which ranks 18th in basketball.

The Raptors are ranked 17th in the NBA in points per game surrendered with 114.2. They are able to force 13.8 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 47.9% from the field (19th in basketball). The Toronto defense allows 37.7% on shots from beyond the perimeter (332 of 880) and their opposition knocks down 78.8% of their foul shots. They have relinquished 26.8 dimes and 43.5 rebounds per contest, which is 20th and 16th in the league.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Toronto

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