Tim Hardaway Jr. stood out in the late moments Friday night at Ball Arena in Denver, leaning into the crowd and drilling 3-pointers as the Denver Nuggets climbed out of a fourth-quarter hole to beat the Toronto Raptors 121-115. The game swung on a small-ball bench look, a burst of outside shooting, and a closing sequence that finally steadied Denver after Toronto’s surge.
How did Tim Hardaway Jr. change the game late?
With Denver searching for edge and energy, Tim Hardaway Jr. supplied both. He finished with 23 points and went 7 of 10 from 3-point range, with nine of those points coming in the fourth quarter. Toronto still held control entering the final period, up nine, after leading by as many as 11 late in the third quarter while Nikola Jokic sat to rest.
Hardaway’s biggest sequence arrived amid the push that flipped the night: he tied the game with a 3-pointer with 7: 27 remaining, then later hit the go-ahead triple with 5: 38 left. That shot prompted Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic to call timeout, stopping play as the building reacted to the sudden shift in momentum.
Denver’s bench production behind the arc mattered as much as any single shot. Hardaway and Bruce Brown combined for 35 points off the bench on 9-for-13 shooting from outside, a number that captured how quickly the game tilted once Denver found clean looks and played with pace.
What did the Nuggets’ comeback reveal about their rotation and urgency?
The night carried the feel of a team trying to reclaim its sharpness. Denver entered needing a response after a loss Wednesday in Memphis, and coach David Adelman leaned into a mostly eight-man rotation in Denver’s third game in four nights. Tyus Jones had a brief three-minute stint, while backup center Jonas Valanciunas did not play.
When Toronto’s offense caught fire with a 13-for-15 start to the second half, the Raptors surged to an 83-72 lead, and Denver briefly looked flat—turnovers piled up, and the visitors dictated the tempo. Toronto, described as being firmly in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, excels in transition and in the paint but struggles with perimeter shooting. Denver’s earlier plan—packing the paint to keep Scottie Barnes and company from getting downhill—wasn’t enough once the rhythm shifted after halftime.
The answer came from an adjustment: Denver went small, using Spencer Jones at center, a look they had also used in the first half. Jamal Murray and Cam Johnson staggered with that unit. Brown started the run with a 3-pointer, and the Nuggets’ switchable lineup helped create the kind of pressure and speed that can scramble a team protecting a lead.
Who closed the game, and what were the decisive possessions?
Denver’s top-line numbers reflected both star power and late execution. Murray led the Nuggets with 31 points on 18 shots. Jokic added 22 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists, and he supplied the finishing touch: a go-ahead jumper in the final minute and the eventual game-winner, a contested 10-footer in the lane with 44 seconds left.
The final stretch tightened quickly. Denver trailed 101-98 before the tying 3 by Hardaway. Later, with Denver up 115-110 with 1: 43 remaining, Toronto answered—Barnes scored on a layup with 1: 32 left, then Jakob Poeltl tied it at 115 with 60 seconds left on a three-point play after being fouled by Jokic.
From there, the Nuggets closed with a 6-0 run: Jokic scored on a turnaround jumper, Murray made three free throws, and Aaron Gordon—who finished with 16 points—added one free throw to cap the win. For Toronto, Poeltl posted 23 points and 11 rebounds, Brandon Ingram scored 19, and R. J. Barrett added 18 as the Raptors saw a three-game winning streak snapped.
Image caption (alt text): Tim Hardaway Jr. celebrates after a late 3-pointer during the Nuggets’ 121-115 comeback win over the Raptors at Ball Arena.
