3 Winners and 1 Loser From the Nuggets' Win vs. Raptors

The Denver Nuggets found their footing on Wednesday night with a 128-109 win over the Toronto Raptors. After starting the season 1-2, the Nuggets have bounced back to win three of their last four games. While there are still some obvious weaknesses they need to clean up, they are at least trending in the right direction.

The Nuggets' 19-point win over the Raptors was their largest of the season, but let's take a closer look at which individual performances stood out. Here are three winners from Wednesday's game and one unfortunate loser:

Winner: Bryce Hopkins

Oct 16, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Bryce Hopkins (13) during the fourth quarter in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jon Endow-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With DeMar DeRozan a late scratch for Wednesday's game, the coaching staff confidently turned to second-round rookie Bryce Hopkins. Not many rookies on two-way contracts have much of an impact this early in their careers, but Hopkins is a rare exception.

The 24-year-old forward had a career night against the Raptors, finishing with 18 points, four rebounds, and two steals on 6-7 shooting from the field, 1-1 from deep, and 5-8 from the free-throw line. Hopkins was aggressive on both sides of the ball and perfectly filled in for the injured DeRozan.

The Nuggets continue to have tough decisions to make with their rotation, as guys like Hopkins step up when given the opportunity. Unfortunately, we will likely only see Hopkins when the players ahead of him are injured, but he is a reliable guy to have deep on the bench.

Winner: Aaron Gordon

Oct 30, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (32) shoots against the Phoenix Suns during the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Aaron Gordon got off to a slow start this season, with many fans expressing early concern about potential regression, but he stepped up on Wednesday night. Gordon finished the win with 17 points and two steals on 7-9 shooting from the field and 1-2 from beyond the arc for his most efficient game of the season.

Gordon struggled on the boards, grabbing just one rebound in 25 minutes of action, but that is more of a fluke. Offensively, this is what we needed to see from Gordon. Once he finds more rhythm from beyond the arc, like we saw last season, he should get back to being the All-Star-caliber player we are used to.

There is still some slight concern about Gordon, but it was nice to see him make an impact while keeping his minutes limited. The most important thing for this Nuggets team is keeping him healthy.

Winner: Tyus Jones

Oct 6, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Tyus Jones (5) brings the ball up the court against the Utah Jazz during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Tyus Jones was viewed as more of a "loser" through Denver's first batch of games, but he had his best performance of the season by a mile on Wednesday night. Through the Nuggets' first six games, Jones tallied just four total assists in 59 minutes. Against the Raptors, he had eight assists in 18 minutes.

With DeRozan sidelined, the Nuggets needed Jones to step up as the lead ball-handler and playmaker for the second unit, and he rose to the occasion. He also dropped six points on 3-4 shooting with just one turnover, putting together an overall productive performance when the Nuggets needed him.

It is clear that Jones would be better served as the lead playmaker for the Nuggets' bench, as he is significantly less useful when he does not have the ball in his hands. We will likely see more games like this from him, and this performance might give the Nuggets' coaching staff a reason to trust him more in that position.

Loser: Alpha Diallo

Oct 16, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Alpha Diallo (11) during the fourth quarter of a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jon Endow-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When the Nuggets brought in Alpha Diallo from overseas, nobody expected much from the signing. However, through training camp and preseason, fans quickly realized how impactful he could be for this team. The reigning EuroLeague Best Defender earned 22 minutes on opening night, but has not reclaimed his spot in the rotation since.

Diallo missed four consecutive games for Denver following the season opener, but has returned to action in their last two games. However, he has not made his mark since returning. In his first game back, he logged about six minutes, all in the first half. In Wednesday's loss, he played four minutes, all in garbage time.

Given his defensive impact, we would expect to see Diallo on the floor more, especially in a game where DeRozan, Julian Strawther, and Spencer Jones were all sidelined. The Nuggets instead opted to roll with a nine-man rotation, and while it worked, it is still strange that we have not seen more of Diallo.

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