DENVER (AP) — Russell Westbrook scored 21 points and played stifling defense on the final play of the game, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Toronto Raptors 121-119 on Monday night.

Nikola Jokic had 28 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists for his third triple-double in four games for Denver, which played without Jamal Murray (concussion protocol) and lost Aaron Gordon to a calf strain straight to the first quarter.

The Nuggets trailed 109-98 with 5:45 left, but rallied to take a 118-117 lead on Peyton Watson’s 3-pointer. The teams traded baskets and Julian Strawther split a pair of free throws with 12 seconds remaining.

That gave Toronto a chance, but on the final play, Westbrook covered RJ Barrett, whose 26-foot shot to win the whistle was short.

Barrett finished with 18 points while Grady Dick had 26 and Jakob Poeltl scored 24.

Takeaways

Raptors: help could arrive sooner than expected. Forward Scottie Barnes (orbital fracture) will not need surgery at this point, according to coach Darko Rajakovic. Barnes has not played since the home loss to Denver on October 28

Nuggets: Injuries put more pressure on the bench to qualify. Swather has played well in recent matches and Hunter Tyson is making the most of his opportunity.

Key moment

Toronto led by six before Poeltl committed his fifth and sixth fouls in a span of 23 seconds. The Nuggets outscored the Raptors 14-8 after Poeltl fouled out.

Key statistic

Jokic has three triple-doubles in the last four games and missed a fourth by a rebound against Minnesota on Friday night. He also had seven turnovers against Toronto.

To be continued

The Raptors travel to Sacramento on Wednesday night while the Nuggets host Oklahoma City for the second time in two weeks.

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