The Toronto Raptors travel to Colorado to face the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center on Sunday.

The Raptors (42-17) just suffered a loss at the hands of the Charlotte Hornets in their most recent game and that's probably their worst defeat of the season. That gives them two losses in a row coming into this matchup and that's bad news heading into a fixture with the Nuggets. The injury bug appears to be creeping around again, forcing Fred VanVleet and Serge Ibaka to miss that most recent loss. The good news is that there's some thought that both guys will return here and that leaves Marc Gasol as the only injured guy left after Norman Powell's return on Thursday. It's scary that this team has been overperforming without a healthy roster and fans can't wait to see what they look like when they're eventually at full health.

The Nuggets (40-19) just got blown out by the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. That defeat was a really discouraging sign, especially with those two clubs tied for the two-seed in the west now. That gives Denver three losses in their last five games in total and that's the last thing you want to see right after the All-Star break. There's still plenty to be encouraged by though and the most impactful improvement this season has been the defense. In fact, Denver currently sits sixth in points allowed but that's disappointing when you see that they rank 20th in points scored. That's an unacceptable mark from a team with guys like Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray and they need to figure things out on that end of the floor before heading into the playoffs.

In the two-game season series last year, Denver picked up a season sweep. Prior to that, the Raptors won six of their last nine meetings with the Nuggets dating back to 2015.