JOKIC BITES BACK AT RAPTORS

Star centre leads Nuggets comeback with triple-double; Boston hit 50 wins

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The Denver Nuggets are not "quitters", and that was why they staged a dramatic second-half fightback to defeat the short-handed Toronto Raptors 125-119 in the National Basketball Association (NBA) on March 11.

Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic grabbed a 35point triple-double to drag Denver back into contention, after the NBA champions trailed by 22 points in the second quarter.

"In the first half, they scored a lot and we didn't play defence. We just needed to match and exceed their physicality, and that's how we turned the game to our advantage," he said after completing his 21st triple-double of the season.

"We were just fighting. The whole crew showed their character today. We're not quitters."

A fired-up Toronto looked poised to score a notable upset after starting strong to open up their doubledigit advantage.

However, Serbian star Jokic seized control of the game in the third quarter, scoring 19 points as Denver outscored Toronto 42-30 to trim the visitors' lead to five points heading into the fourth.