Raptors' New Year Unhappy - 114-107 Nuggets

The Raptors had no problems scoring last night on New Year's Eve (Happy New Year everybody!) but they had problems galore on the defensive end. Five Raptors scored in double figures, led by Andrea Bargnani's 26 points, but the Nuggets finished with an amazing seven players in double figures - only Anthony Carter (0 in 11 minutes) and Dahntay Jones (4 in 16 minutes) didn't have effective scoring nights, as everyone else found some way to score even in their limited playing time.

NBA.com recap

Player of the Game:
Andrea Bargnani finally broke out of his slump yesterday, starting out very slowly on offense but finishing with very impressive numbers of 26 points (9-19 FG, 3-6 3FG, 5-5 FT), 6 rebounds, 5 blocks and 2 steals. While Bargnani won't put up those stats on a regular basis (especially on teams that at least attempt to play defense, unlike the Nuggets) it should serve as a confidence booster for him.

Notables:
Chris Bosh - 24 points (7-18 FG, 0-3 3FG, 10-13 FT), 11 rebounds. Bosh was hounded all night by guards and forwards alike, and while he didn't shoot very well, he still managed to get to the line and find ways to be effective, particularly on the boards: he had 4 offensive rebounds.
Jose Calderon - 18 points (6-9 FG, 4-4 3FG, 2-2 FT), 11 assists, 5 rebounds. Jose continued his spectacular distribution and shooting, but one thing stands out. Last night he had 5 turnovers, and against Golden State he had four. Now everyone is allowed a slump, but Jose - and yes, he did have 27 assists to go with those 9 turnovers - is one of the most consistent guards in the league, and he needs to help carry this team.
Anthony Parker - 12 points (5-10 FG, 2-4 3FG), 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals. Parker was a starter again (finally) and played passable defense on the Nuggets perimeter players (J.R. Smith and Dahntay Jones combined for just 14 points on 7-17 shooting). He also had a nice game getting active on the boards and helping to distibute. Parker needs to contribute to give this team hope.

Full box score

Stat of the Game:
This game was actually remarkably close in every statistical category (check the box). However, the Raptors' swiss cheese defense again allowed Denver penetration and scoring almost at will. The Nuggets shot 51.2% (42-82) from the floor and 44.4% (8-18) from the arc, to the Raptors' 46.9% (38-81) from the field and 41.7% (10-24) from three. Defense, fellas. And all that even with Jason Kapono out there as a pylon.

Next Game: Friday, January 2nd, 7:00 PM vs. Houston Rockets