Jamal Murray Reveals Secret to Nuggets' Comeback Win vs Raptors

The Denver Nuggets claimed a major home win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night after a humbling prior loss vs. the Memphis Grizzlies.

After being down by as many as 11 points in the third quarter, it wouldnt be before the Nugets wound up rallying back for a statement victory against one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference, and claimed their 20th home win on the season.

And just like many of the Nuggets' successes this season, it came with a big night from All-Star guard Jamal Murray, leading with 31 points shooting 10-18 from the field, pairing it with five rebounds and six assists.

That performance made for his 20th 30-plus point night of the season, and has taken Denver to a 13-7 record in those games.

But after the game, it wasn't his own scoring that Murray credited as to why the Nuggets came away with the home victory. Instead, he gave the credit to Denver's collective defense, and the contributions from everyone down the rotation to help lead this one to the end result that it did.

"I thought the game was pretty winnable the whole game," Murray said after the win. "I thought our defensive energy the whole game was pretty good. Even when they made shots, guys were still into the ball, guys were still playing hard and calling out coverages and stuff. They’re still a good team so they were up on us, and then we just made a good push like we normally do, and we won the game."

"A lot of guys came to play tonight on both ends. That's what won the game. Everybody pitched in. Everybody came in and impacted the game, whether they had two possessions with the ball, or it was at back-tap, or an open three... There's so many ways that the whole team just impacted the game, and that's why we won."

Jamal Murray Higlights Spencer Jones After Raptors Win

The Nuggets essentially rolled out a slim, eight-man rotation in their win against Toronto, a lineup where six of those names found their way to double figures in scoring.

Even for those that didn't impact the scoring column, like Spencer Jones and his zero points, his presence on the defensive end and his 18 minutes on the floor also landed some notable praise from Murray postgame.

"Yeah, [Spencer Jones] has kind of been similar to Bruce [Brown], just the way he’s impacting the game on both ends," Murray said. "He’s just finding the gap in the defense, being patient, not rushing it... It was just guys playing really good basketball today. I could rave about guys, but guys played good basketball today, both ends. That’s why we won."

Mar 20, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Spencer Jones (21) and Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) battle for the ball in the fourth quarter at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

"I thought tonight was a great bounce back energy game in front of our home fans," he continued. "That's just the energy we need to play with. Those are the games where, if we had lost that game, our effort would've been something that I could have slept well with. So, it's just good to come out with a win and start building something great."

If the Nuggets can continue to get the same type of production up and down their rotation, along with the same clutch execution in the fourth quarter from this game agains Toronto, there's a real case to be made that Denver can piece together a big run to close out the season headed into the playoffs.

However, sustaining that success will also rely on the Nuggets being both consistent on both ends of the floor and staying healthy, both factors that have only just started to come together in the final few weeks of their season.

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