NBA 2018-19: 3 talking points from Denver Nuggets' win over Toronto Raptors

In a match-up between the top two teams in their respective conferences, the Denver Nuggets ran out 95-86 winners against the Toronto Raptors.

The Raptors have now lost two straight games on their West coast road trip after dropping their last game against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Nuggets beat Oklahoma City Thunder in their last game and continue their great start to the season.

The franchise cornerstone, Nikola Jokic, led the Nuggets in scoring with 26 points on 11-19 shooting from the floor, and he also grabbed 9 rebounds. He got great support from Jamal Murray who scored 19 points for the game.

The Raptors, playing without their All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry for the second straight game, were led by their superstar Kawhi Leonard who tallied 29 points for the team. That, however, wasn't enough to get the win on the day.

With this victory, the Nuggets have consolidated their position atop the Western Conference with a 20-9 record. The Raptors also stay at the top of the Eastern Conference with a 23-9 record.

Here are the top 3 takeaways from the game:

#3 Fourth quarter scoring by Jamal Murray

The buckets were falling for Murray in the 4th quarter

Jamal Murray was having a very disappointing night until the first three quarters of the action. But it all changed after that, as Murray scored 15 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter alone.

The Nuggets were trailing by 13 points in the third quarter but went on a 23-2 run to take the lead. At the start of the fourth quarter, Murray got hot and scored eight straight points.

The Nuggets, who have won 10 of their last 12 games, didn't have Will Barton, Gary Harris and Paul Millsap because of injuries. They needed great work from their top players and both Jokic and Murray delivered to give them a statement win.

#2 Poor ball movement from the Raptors

Kawhi Leonard didn't get support from his teammates

The Raptors have now lost two straight games in the absence of their point guard, Kyle Lowry. Lowry is the assist leader this season and the Raptors missed his playmaking in this match.

The Raptors are one of the top passing teams in the league; they rank number 7th in the league when it comes to assists per game. But they struggled to move the ball in this match. They finished the match with only 13 assists, which is way below their season average of 25.3 assists per game.

Leonard had another good outing for the Raptors, finishing with a game-high 29 points on 12-21 shooting from the floor. But the other players simply failed to support him; only three Raptor players scored in double figures in this match.

The Raptors next face the Indiana Pacers at home, which promises to be another great encounter.

#1 Great defensive effort from the Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets are a great defensive team

The Denver Nuggets are one of the elite defensive teams in the NBA this season. They rank 3rd in the NBA in points allowed per game, with 103.5 points allowed per game.

They were again at their elite defensive level in this match, allowing only 86 points against one of the top offensive teams in the NBA this season.

The Raptors out-rebounded the Nuggets and had a 51-44 rebounds advantage. But the Nuggets fought on every possession and kept the Raptors to only 39.8% shooting from the floor. The Raptors shot an even worse 20% from beyond the arc in this game.

The Nuggets don't have a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in their team, but they play great team defense. Everyone contributes in his own way, and they don't give away easy shots to their opponents.

The Nuggets next face the Dallas Mavericks at home.