Raptors lose to Zombie Nuggets in most painful way imaginable after Brandon Ingram prayer

The Toronto Raptors experienced a terrible loss this Wednesday. Their game against the Denver Nuggets was supposed to be a cakewalk. With Nikola Jokic joining the many Nuggets players who are already injured, Toronto was a heavy favorite to win the contest and enter 2026 with a win.

Unfortunately, the Raptors walked right into a trap game. The Nuggets, behind 24 points from Peyton Watson and 21 points from Jamal Murray, came into Scotiabank Arena and gave Toronto hell. In contrast, Toronto’s usually sturdy bench unit struggled to get going, resulting in a game that was uncomfortably close given the away team’s circumstances.

Despite their struggles, the Raptors were given a golden opportunity to bail themselves out. The Nuggets led 106-103 with 2.7 seconds left in the game. Bruce Brown was on the line for his second free-throw attempt. Brown missed, and Scottie Barnes collected the rebound. Barnes found Brandon Ingram down the court and rifled a pass to him. Ingram corralled the pass, rose up, and drained the three-pointer to send the game to overtime. The Raptors had a chance.

Except, well, they really didn’t have a chance. The replay showed that Ingram still had his fingertips on the ball when the clock ran out. As a result, the three-point shot was overturned, and the Raptors lost to the Nuggets.

Brandon Ingram knocks down the game-tying shot at the buzzer, but it was overturned because the ball was still on his fingertips pic.twitter.com/FSRz4450Hk

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 1, 2026

Murray was the only Nuggets starter from Opening Day who played in the Raptors game. Jokic, Christian Braun, Aaron Gordon, and Cam Johnson were all out due to injuries. Despite that, the Nuggets won thanks to a spirited effort from Watson and Murray, as well as a solid game off the bench for DaRon Holmes.

Meanwhile, the Raptors’ bench was completely lackluster against the Nuggets. They got excellent production from the starters: Ingram had 30 points, Immanuel Quickley had 22, and Barnes had 20 points 14 rebounds, and 10 assists. However, the Toronto bench had a combined ten points during the game, showing no signs of life.

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