The Denver Nuggets experimented with two 7-footers in the starting lineup but it didnt work out. They stumbled to a 3-5 record with Jusuf Nurkic and Nikola Jokic manning the post together, so coach Michael Malone inserted Kenneth Faried at power forward.It took a couple of games but the Nuggets finally got a win with Faried starting and Jokic coming off the bench. Turns out, Faried thought he should have been starting all along.When I came out of that starting spot, it kind of gave me a wakeup call, Faried said after Denvers 120-104 win over Phoenix on Wednesday. Like, Hey, you need to get back to who you are.Faried had 20 points and 15 rebounds, both season highs, in the win, and he and the Nuggets want to ride that momentum against the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.The Nuggets (4-7) also want to get even with the Raptors, who won the first meeting between the teams, 105-102, in Toronto on Oct. 31.The Raptors (7-4) are going to be hungry for a win after losing back-to-back games to the two NBA Finals teams from last season. Toronto lost by four at Cleveland on Tuesday and then fell to Golden State at home on Wednesday.These two games are a good test for us, they let us know how quickly mental mistakes will cost you and breakdowns will cost you and then in the second half when we got focused in, locked in, we started switching some things properly, talking, communicating we kind of got back in the game, Toronto coach Dwane Casey told the Toronto Sun. But you cant have lulls like that against great teams.Star guard DeMar DeRozan hasnt had any lulls this season. He has scored 30 or more points in nine games this season, including 34 against the Warriors on a night he was 17-for-17 from the line.One of those 30-point games came against Denver. He had 33, and his backcourt mate, Kyle Lowry, had 29.Stopping those two will be a tall task for the Nuggets. Their best perimeter defender, Gary Harris, is out with a foot injury and Will Barton hasnt played since spraining his ankle against Toronto, leaving Denver thin at guard.Malone started backup point guard Jameer Nelson against the Suns and went with a three-guard rotation with rookie Jamal Murray. It worked well enough against the Suns, but it will be a different story against the Raptors.Fridays game is the beginning of four road games in six nights for Toronto. The Raptors also play Sacramento, the Los Angeles Clippers and Houston.The Pacific Division-leading Clippers will provide a tough challenge, but Denver thinks it has found something with Faried back in the lineup, so the Nuggets will be tough to beat, especially after getting their first home win in four games.Very happy to get the monkey off our back, get the first home win, Malone said. Now we have to turn around and get ready for Toronto. Jerome Robinson Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Montrezl Harrell Jersey .Y. -- Canadas Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse have another World Cup gold medal after winning the two-women bobsled race on Saturday in Lake Placid, N. https://www.cheapclippersonline.com/1100h-swen-nater-jersey-clippers.html . But the quarterback hopes to stay involved in football after officially calling it quits Tuesday. "Id love to look at those opportunities as they arise," Pierce said in an interview from his Winnipeg eatery. Terry Cummings Jersey . Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night. Eric Piatkowski Jersey . It was hard for Luck to pull off another comeback, or even get into the end zone, while standing on the sideline. Rivers threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to rookie Keenan Allen and Nick Novak kicked four field goals to give the Chargers a 19-9 victory against the Colts on Monday night. With two games to play before taking a monthlong break for the Summer Olympics, the Connecticut Sun and the Dallas Wings square off in a Wednesday matinee with a few things in common.They both struggled the past four games. They both had a chance at notching upset wins Sunday. They both lost, and both now must try to rebound and close out the first part of the season on a positive note.That next step comes at Wednesday at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.How the Wings respond coming off a crushing overtime loss to the Minnesota Lynx will say a lot about the mental toughness of the team. Dallas (9-14) fought back from a 13-point, fourth-quarter deficit only to lose 98-87 in overtime to the team with the second-best record in the WNBA.On Sunday against the New York Liberty, the Sun fell behind early, then scored 19 of 22 points in the second period to take a seven-point, third-quarter lead. Connecticut (6-16) led midway through the fourth until running out of steam and falling 83-76.Even though the Sun have lost three of four, they have shown signs of life. Before they were unable to close out the Liberty, they took a 16-point lead in the third quarter Friday against the Los Angeles Spaarks, the team with the best WNBA mark, before succumbing.ddddddddddddAlex Bentley continues to lead the Sun in scoring at 14 points a game. Three others of her teammates also are in double figures: Alyssa Thomas (11.1), Chiney Ogwumike (10.2) and Jasmine Thomas (10.0).The Wings have lost four straight. However, throw out a 37-point loss to the Lynx, and they dropped the other three games by a total of eight points.Dallas has plenty of firepower, as six players, led by Odyssey Sims (14.7), Karima Christmas (13.5) and Glory Johnson (13.2), are scoring in double figures.The Wings added some much needed experience on Monday when they signed guard Tiffany Bias and waived Brinna Kiesel.Tiffany brings energy, speed and tenacity to our roster, Dallas general manager Greg Bibb said. She has playoff experience and has won a WNBA Championship. We are excited to have her join our team and help us improve.The Sun travel to Chicago to take on the Sky on Friday, while the Wings head to Atlanta to take on the Dream the same day.Play will resume following the Olympics on Aug. 26. ' ' '