One of the highlights of Toronto’s home schedule this season arrives Wednesday night as two-time league MVP Nikola Jokic and the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets visit Scotiabank Arena. Denver is a 5-point favourite to win on the NBA odds.

Nuggets vs. Raptors NBA Betting Odds

Could the Nuggets repeat as NBA champions? As long as two-time MVP Nikola Jokic is healthy, they sure can. (This writer doesn’t happen to think so, however.) Jokic is the betting favourite to win a third MVP, and we are getting to the point to where we have to rank him among the greatest players in history. Denver was largely quiet this offseason after the first title in franchise history. The only major loss was Bruce Brown to Indiana in free agency. The Nuggets have the incomparable Jokic, an All-Star guard in Canadian Jamal Murray, a very good but inconsistent player in Michael Porter Jr., and a lot of role players.

Raptors president Masai Ujiri served as the Nuggets Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations for three seasons (2010-13) and won the 2013 Executive of the Year Award after the Nuggets reached a franchise record 57 wins. That record still stands as last year’s team “only” won 53 regular-season games.

Last season, these teams split with each winning at home. Jokic played in both and averaged 22.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 8.0 assists. Denver leads the all-time series 32-22 but trails 14-13 as the road team. Overall, Toronto is 4-6 SU and 5-5 ATS in the past 10 – covering three in a row.

Denver Nuggets

This starts a three-game trip for Denver, which is 7-8 away but 11-2 at home. Last season’s team was very similar but then won on the road for the most part in the playoffs. Guard Jamal Murray, from Kitchener, has been in and out of the lineup this season and missed a total of 15 games with nagging injuries but surely would not miss this game. Murray looked good in Monday’s rout of Dallas with 22 points and 4-for-4 shooting from deep. Aaron Gordon tied a season high with 21 points, while Nikola Jokic had just eight points but nine rebounds and seven assists in a game where the Nuggets starters got the fourth quarter off. It was actually the third time Jokic was held to single digits in a game this season, but he had been ejected in the previous two. Dating to last season, the Nuggets are 14-6 when Gordon scores at least 20. Starting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope returned after missing the previous two due to injury and had nine points, three rebounds and two assists in 26 minutes.

Toronto Raptors

We projected the Raptors to beat the visiting Hornets 120-114 on Monday but it wasn’t that close as the Dinos prevailed 114-99, a very rare time this season that they held an opponent under triple digits. The game was tight until the fourth quarter, when Toronto outscored Charlotte 35-18 – and more specifically 28-14 in the final nine minutes. It was Toronto’s fifth win this season when trailing after three quarters, tying it with Dallas and Charlotte (?) for the league lead. The Raptors bench outscored Charlotte’s 43-24, led by Gary Trent Jr., who recorded his first career double-double with a season-high 22 points and career-best 10 rebounds. Pascal Siakam scored eight of his 27 points in the fourth quarter. The Raptors have now shot 50 per cent from the field in three straight games and are 7-3 this season when doing so overall. It certainly helped Toronto’s cause that Charlotte was without four starters in LaMelo Ball, Gordon Hayward, Mark Williams and Miles Bridges. The latter was a bit unexpected as Bridges was denied entrance to Canada due some legal problems in the USA.

NBA Prediction: Who Will Win Nuggets vs. Raptors?

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Nuggets Team Leaders

DEN

Points	Nikola Jokic 26.39
Assists	Nikola Jokic 8.96
Rebounds	Nikola Jokic 12.35
FG%	DeAndre Jordan 62.4
Steals	Nikola Jokic 1.37
Blocks	Peyton Watson 1.1

TOR

Points	RJ Barrett 21.75
Assists	Immanuel Quickley 6.76
Rebounds	Jakob Poeltl 8.58
FG%	Jakob Poeltl 65.6
Steals	Kobi Simmons 1.5
Blocks	Mouhamadou Gueye 1.64

DEN

Points	Nikola Jokic 28.67
Assists	Nikola Jokic 8.67
Rebounds	Nikola Jokic 13.42
FG%	Jalen Pickett 66.7
Steals	Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 1.42
Blocks	Michael Porter Jr. 0.83

TOR

Points
Assists
Rebounds	Did not qualify
FG%
Steals
Blocks

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Raptors Team Leaders

DEN

Points	Nikola Jokic 26.39
Assists	Nikola Jokic 8.96
Rebounds	Nikola Jokic 12.35
FG%	DeAndre Jordan 62.4
Steals	Nikola Jokic 1.37
Blocks	Peyton Watson 1.1

TOR

Points	RJ Barrett 21.75
Assists	Immanuel Quickley 6.76
Rebounds	Jakob Poeltl 8.58
FG%	Jakob Poeltl 65.6
Steals	Kobi Simmons 1.5
Blocks	Mouhamadou Gueye 1.64

DEN

Points	Nikola Jokic 28.67
Assists	Nikola Jokic 8.67
Rebounds	Nikola Jokic 13.42
FG%	Jalen Pickett 66.7
Steals	Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 1.42
Blocks	Michael Porter Jr. 0.83

TOR

Points
Assists
Rebounds	Did not qualify
FG%
Steals
Blocks

Injuries

Denver

Jamal Murray (SG)

Prob Sun Elbow - 18 / 05 / 24

Jamal Murray (SG)

Ques Thurs Calf - 15 / 05 / 24

Jamal Murray (SG)

Prob Tues Calf - 13 / 05 / 24

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (SG)

Ques Sun Ankle - 12 / 05 / 24

Reggie Jackson (PG)

Ques Sun Calf - 12 / 05 / 24

Jamal Murray (SG)

Ques Sun Calf - 12 / 05 / 24

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (SG)

Ques Sun Ankle - 11 / 05 / 24

Reggie Jackson (PG)

Ques Sun Calf - 11 / 05 / 24

Jamal Murray (SG)

Ques Sun Calf - 11 / 05 / 24

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (SG)

Prob Fri Abdominal - 09 / 05 / 24

Toronto

RJ Barrett (SF)

Out Sun Knee - 14 / 04 / 24

Mouhamadou Gueye (PF)

Out Sun Thumb - 13 / 04 / 24

Immanuel Quickley (SG)

Out Sun Hip - 13 / 04 / 24

Gary Trent Jr. (SG)

Ques Fri Back - 10 / 04 / 24

RJ Barrett (SF)

Out Wed Rest - 10 / 04 / 24

Bruce Brown (PG)

Ques Fri Knee - 10 / 04 / 24

Jordan Nwora (PF)

Prob Wed Undisclosed - 10 / 04 / 24

Kelly Olynyk (PF)

Out Wed Rest - 10 / 04 / 24

Immanuel Quickley (SG)

Out Tues Rest - 08 / 04 / 24

Gradey Dick (SG)

Prob Wed Groin - 07 / 04 / 24

Injuries

Denver

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Jamal Murray (SG)	Prob Sun	Elbow - 18 / 05 / 24	0-1	0-1	+ -
Murray left the last game with an elbow injury, but he is likely to be on court against the Timberwolves in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Jamal Murray (SG)	Ques Thurs	Calf - 15 / 05 / 24	2-1	2-1	+ -
Murray is dealing with a left calf strain, and it is unknown if he will face the Timberwolves in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Jamal Murray (SG)	Prob Tues	Calf - 13 / 05 / 24	2-1	2-1	+ -
Murray is dealing with a left calf strain, but he is likely to be on court against the Timberwolves in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (SG)	Ques Sun	Ankle - 12 / 05 / 24	3-1	3-1	+ -
Caldwell-Pope is sidelined with a left ankle sprain, and it is undetermined if he will suit up for Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Timberwolves.
Reggie Jackson (PG)	Ques Sun	Calf - 12 / 05 / 24	3-1	3-1	+ -
Jackson is hampered by a left calf contusion, and it is unclear if he will be active for Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Timberwolves.
Jamal Murray (SG)	Ques Sun	Calf - 12 / 05 / 24	3-1	3-1	+ -
Murray is managing a left calf strain, and it remains to be seen if he will play against the Timberwolves in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (SG)	Ques Sun	Ankle - 11 / 05 / 24	3-2	3-2	+ -
Caldwell-Pope is sidelined with a left ankle sprain, and it is undetermined if he will suit up for Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Timberwolves.
Reggie Jackson (PG)	Ques Sun	Calf - 11 / 05 / 24	3-2	3-2	+ -
Jackson is hampered by a left calf contusion, and it is unclear if he will be active for Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Timberwolves.
Jamal Murray (SG)	Ques Sun	Calf - 11 / 05 / 24	3-2	3-2	+ -
Murray is managing a left calf strain, and it remains to be seen if he will play against the Timberwolves in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (SG)	Prob Fri	Abdominal - 09 / 05 / 24	3-2	3-2	+ -
Caldwell-Pope has been bothered from right abdominal contusion, and it is likely to suit up against the Timberwolves in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals.

Toronto

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
RJ Barrett (SF)	Out Sun	Knee - 14 / 04 / 24	0-1	1-0	+ -
Barrett is bothered by knee soreness, and he will not battle the Heat on Sunday.
Mouhamadou Gueye (PF)	Out Sun	Thumb - 13 / 04 / 24	0-1	1-0	+ -
Gueye is hampered by a right thumb sprain, and he will not take on the Heat in Sunday's showdown.
Immanuel Quickley (SG)	Out Sun	Hip - 13 / 04 / 24	0-1	1-0	+ -
Quickley is laid up with a left adductor strain, and he will not participate in Sunday's tilt against the Heat.
Gary Trent Jr. (SG)	Ques Fri	Back - 10 / 04 / 24	1-2	2-1	+ -
Trent Jr. was held out of the last contest due to back spasms, and it is undetermined if he will take on the Heat on Friday.
RJ Barrett (SF)	Out Wed	Rest - 10 / 04 / 24	1-2	2-1	+ -
Barrett will not partake in Wednesday's showdown versus the Nets as he will be given a day of rest.
Bruce Brown (PG)	Ques Fri	Knee - 10 / 04 / 24	1-2	2-1	+ -
Brown sat out the previous game with right knee inflammation, and it is unknown if he will face the Heat on Friday.
Jordan Nwora (PF)	Prob Wed	Undisclosed - 10 / 04 / 24	1-2	2-1	+ -
Nwora exited the previous game with an undefined issue, but it is projected that he will dress for Wednesday's matchup with the Nets.
Kelly Olynyk (PF)	Out Wed	Rest - 10 / 04 / 24	1-2	2-1	+ -
Olynyk will not be available for Wednesday's clash with the Nets as he will receive a day of rest.
Immanuel Quickley (SG)	Out Tues	Rest - 08 / 04 / 24	2-2	3-1	+ -
Quickley will not be active for Tuesday's clash with the Pacers as he will be given a day of rest.
Gradey Dick (SG)	Prob Wed	Groin - 07 / 04 / 24	3-2	3-2	+ -
Dick missed the last game with a right groin contusion, but it is projected that he will line up against the Nets on Wednesday.