By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The Toronto Raptors took down the Denver Nuggets, 117-109, on Friday in the NBA bubble. Both teams are staying in Orlando with the playoffs scheduled to begin next week.
The lack of playoff implications led the head coach Nick Nurse to rest most key players. Serge Ibaka and OG Anunoby were out. Marc Gasol started but was held to 17 minutes with two points, five assists, three rebounds, one steal, and one block. Stanley Johnson came away with a game-high 23 points.
The defending NBA champions, already locked into a best-of-seven series with the Brooklyn Nets, secured the second place of the overall NBA standings over the Los Angeles Lakers. They finished the regular season 53-19 thanks to a 7-1 run since action resumed.
The Nuggets fell to 46-27 and 3-5 in the bubble prior to the first round of the playoffs and the Utah Jazz. Nikola Jokic only played ten minutes in the regular-season finale ending up with two points, two assists, and one rebound.
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