DENVER — — Russell Westbrook scored 21 points and played suffocating defense on the final play of the game, and the Denver Nuggets defeated 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 right calf strain in 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 left.

That gave Toronto a chance, but on the final play Westbrook covered RJ Barrett, whose 26-footer to win the game at the horn was short.

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

Takeaways

Raptors: Help could be on its way sooner than expected. Striker Scottie Barnes (orbital fracture) does not require surgery at this time, according to coach Darko Rajakovic. Barnes hasn’t played since the home loss to Denver on Oct. 28

Nuggets: The injuries have increased the pressure on the bench to pull through. Swather has played well in the last few 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 defeated the Raptors 14-8 after Poeltl fouled out.

Key stat

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

Next

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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AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL