TORONTO-
Morris Peterson had 23 points, Jorge Garbajosa had a career high 22 and the Toronto Raptors never trailed in a 121-94 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Friday night.
Carmelo Anthony had a season-low 10 points for the Nuggets, who missed their first 15 shots. Denver lost by one in Chicago on Thursday night.
Anthony—second in the NBA in scoring—finished 3-for-15 from the field. Allen Iverson had 14 points on 3-for-12 shooting.
T.J. Ford had 14 points and 14 assists for the Atlantic Division-leading Raptors, who led by as many as 38.
Toronto won its second straight without No. 1 pick Andrea Bargnani (appendectomy).
All-Star Chris Bosh didn’t return after spraining his right ankle with 5:07 left in the third. Toronto led by 32 at the time.
The Raptors began the game on a 12-0 run, led by 21 after the first quarter and 29 at halftime. Toronto scored 72 points in the first half, a season-high this season.
Garbajosa reached a career high by halftime with 21 points, one more than his previous best March 14 versus New York. He went 5-for-9 from beyond the arc.
Toronto shot 57 percent compared to 38 percent for Denver.
The Raptors ended a five-game losing streak to the Nuggets, beating them for the first time since Dec. 30, 2003.
Rasho Nesterovic capped an 11-2 run with three-point play, giving Toronto a 38-point lead with 9:10 left in the third quarter
Five Raptors reached double figures in scoring.
Notes:@ Denver center Marcus Camby missed the game with back spasms. … Bargnani has been released from the hospital after undergoing surgery Wednesday. “He’s going to be out as long as it takes,” Toronto coach Sam Mitchell said. “He needs to get rest and recuperate.” … Toronto backup point guard Jose Calderon returned after missing three games with a sprained left ankle. … Toronto’s Anthony Parker has missed eight of the last 12 games with a sprained right ankle.