Toronto shot 3 for 15 from three-point range in the second half of a 128-109 loss to Denver, a 20 percent clip that says more than the final margin. Nikola Jokic finished with 32 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his third triple-double this season, so the Nuggets had their usual answer. The Raptors' counter was the arc, and it did not arrive after halftime.
RJ Barrett led Toronto with 22 points, and Scottie Barnes added 17 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals. Barnes's line is built on playmaking and disruption rather than scoring volume, so the offense leans on teammates converting the shots he creates. Fifteen second-half attempts from deep suggest those looks were being generated, which puts the gap in the finishing.
That reading is testable. A creation-heavy offense shooting 20 percent from three is a variance problem that tends to correct itself, provided the attempts keep coming at that volume. The Raptors' next few games will show whether the shot diet or the shooting was the issue.