Williams, Raptors survive Nuggets in OT
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - Lou Williams scored five of his 26 points in overtime and the Toronto Raptors beat the Denver Nuggets 112-107 on Monday.
The Raptors squandered a 16-point third quarter lead and only forced overtime after Patrick Patterson buried a 3-pointer in the final minute of regulation.
Patterson had 19 points and Jonas Valanciunas scored 18 with 12 rebounds for the Eastern Conference leaders, who improved to 7-2 against Western Conference teams this season.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Terrence Ross added 16 points in the win and Kyle Lowry scored 13 with 13 assists.
"I didn't shoot the ball well, but my teammates made some shots," Lowry said. "We made shots and won the game as a team."
Arron Afflalo and Ty Lawson combined to score 47 points for the Nuggets, who have lost four in a row and finished 0-3 on a three-game road trip. Lawson had 12 assists to go with his 22 points.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Wilson Chandler scored 18 in the loss and Timofey Mozgov had 15 points and 12 assists.
Denver had a chance to win in regulation but turned the ball over on a shot- clock violation, giving Toronto possession with 4.3 seconds left, but Lowry missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Chandler knocked down a 3 for Denver to start overtime, but the Nuggets didn't score again until Alonzo Gee's bucket in the final seconds.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ross' 3 tied the score for the Raptors, who then took the lead for good on Williams' layup with more than three minutes remaining in overtime.
Earlier, the Raptors -- who scored a season-low 91 points in Friday's loss to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers -- led by as many as seven in a 35- point first quarter against Denver.
"The 35-point first quarter set us back," Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw said. "That's been our problem, not only on this trip, but this entire season. We dig a hole for ourselves."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Valanciunas had 10 points in the quarter and Williams scored 13 in the second, including eight during a 14-2 run that stretched Toronto's lead to 17.
Denver trimmed its deficit to eight later in the quarter but trailed 62-52 at the break. It cut that to one point, going into the fourth down 82-81.
Game Notes
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Toronto is 3-2 since losing DeMar DeRozan to a groin injury on Nov. 28 ... The Raptors go on the road to face Cleveland again on Tuesday ... The Nuggets host Miami on Wednesday.