Tonight marks the beginning of the Denver Nuggets’ (18-10) three-game east coast road trip against the Toronto Raptors (11-15).With the two teams swapping victories over the previous four seasons, this has been one of the more intriguing interconference meetings in recent memory. The even more intriguing statistic is that neither club has a definite edge when they are not on the road, with the two teams having a 2-2 record at home in the series.

The Nuggets just finished a crushing defeat over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. They’ve been winning lately, with a 4-1 record over their previous five games—the lone defeat coming in the closing seconds against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder—after going through a particularly difficult period in the middle of November.

Though their 11–15 record may suggest otherwise, the Raptors are better than that. This season, they’ve pushed a few elite teams to the limit, but they’ve also let bottom clubs fight their way back and win games in the closing moments. With the exception of Fred VanVleet, they returned most of their roster from the previous year, but they’re still ironing out the details of replacing his output, particularly in crucial late-game scenarios.

The Essentials

Who: Denver Nuggets (18-10, 7-8 away) @ Toronto Raptors (11-15, 8-7 home)

When: 5:30 p.m. MST

Where: Scotiabank Arena

How to watch/listen: Denver Stiffs does not condone piracy..unless it’s the romanticized 18th-century type. AltitudeTV where available. League Pass for non-Denver market viewers. Show up in Toronto. 92.5 FM KKSE Altitude Sports Radio

Expected Starting Lineups:

TOR: PG Dennis Schroder, SG Scottie Barnes, SF OG Anunoby, PF Pascal Siakam, C Jakob Poeltl

DEN: PG Reggie Jackson, SG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SF Michael Porter Jr., PF Aaron Gordon, C Nikola Jokic

Injuries: Aaron Gordon (heel) PROBABLE, Christian Koloko (illness) OUT

Three Things to Watch

Rebounding Battle

These two teams are built in a similar mold with a lot of long bodies on the floor at all times, and it makes sense that they’re right next to each other in the rebounding rankings, with the Raptors at ninth with the Nuggets in 10th. In Denver’s 10 losses, they’ve lost or tied in the rebounding battle in six of those 10 games. Denver has to win the battle on the boards, especially on the defensive end, as the Raptors rank sixth in offensive rebounds per game.

Take Care of the Ball

The Nuggets are 28th in turnovers per game this year while the Raptors are tied for the 10th-most. The Raptors like to turn teams over and run in transition with their athletes, and that is the exact way that the Nuggets get worn out and fall behind in games. Both of these teams have the ability to get hot in a hurry if their opponents let them, and free buckets in transition would only make that easier.

Jamal Murray the Scorer

Since Jamal Murray returned from his injury, he’s been a big indicator of the team’s overall success. In the three wins over the team’s last five, he’s shooting 27-of-44 from the floor, including 10-of-13 from 3-point range. In their one loss, he shot 5-of-13 and 0-of-6 from 3-point range. It’s unfair to put the entire blame on Murray, but his production strongly correlates to the team’s success. He’s -115 to score 20+ points on ESPNBet, and, while the matchup isn’t the best, I don’t mind Murray in this spot with his ability to get hot in a hurry.