TORONTO — The new year couldn’t arrive soon enough for the Nuggets.
Already down four starters, including three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, they were hanging on for dear life with a third-quarter lead over the Raptors on Wednesday night. Then, as the final hours of 2025 ticked away, one more cursed injury struck. Jonas Valanciunas abruptly pulled up with a limp between possessions and reached for his right leg — a non-contact calf strain.
He was done, and the Nuggets were missing more than half of their usual rotation for the last 16 minutes of game time in the calendar year.