Lou Williams had 26 points and three assists off the bench to lead the Toronto Raptors past the Denver Nuggets in overtime, 112-107, Monday night at the Air Canada Centre.
The Raptors won their first overtime game since March 2009, having lost the last 10. Patrick Patterson added 19 points and eight rebounds shooting five out of seven from the three-point area. Patterson hit two straight three point shots in the fourth quarter to send the game to an extra period.
Toronto converted 50 percent of their shots from the field, while Denver managed to hit the 40 percent after cold shooting in overtime. Jonas Valanciunas and Kyle Lowry each tallied double-doubles for Toronto. Valanciunas finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Lowry chalked up 13 points and 13 assists for the Raptors, who showed full display of teamwork, as they dished out 21 dimes on 41 made baskets.
Terrence Ross pitched in with 16 points in place of the injured DeRozan. Arron Afflalo pioneered Denver's offense, unloading 25 points and six rebounds. Ty Lawson added 22 points and 12 assists, while Timofey Mozgov scored 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Nuggets, who won the battle of the boards, 49-44.
The Nuggets collected 19 offensive rebounds while allowing just eight for the Raptors. The Nuggets managed to come close with the Raptors in the first frame behind Wilson Chandler, who scored three straight three-point shots in the quarter. Chandler finished the game with 18 points and six rebounds. The two point guards for each team were phenomenal in the first quarter as well, with Lowry scoring six points and handing two assists, while Lawson put in eight points and six assists.
Toronto stretched their lead to 10 at halftime thanks to an offensive outburst by Lou Williams, but Denver inched closer in the third, trailing by a single point. Denver's starters scored 77 of the 81 points after three quarters. The Nuggets settled for a three-point lead with under a minute to go, but Patterson made a three to even things up at 102 to send the game to overtime.
Toronto immediately capitalized their opportunities in the extra session, outscoring the Nuggets, 10-5, to seal the victory. The Toronto Raptors remain atop the Eastern Conference with a 16-5 record, while the Denver Nuggets lose their third straight game and stand at 9-12.
The Raptors will head to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers on Tuesday for the third time this season. Meanwhile, the Nuggets will host the Miami Heat on Wednesday, December 10.