When the Nuggets visited Canada in March, it was the nadir of an eventual championship season.

They allowed a season-worst 49 points in the first quarter and never recovered in a fourth consecutive loss, part of a lull late in the regular season that briefly made Denver look like a wobbly No. 1 seed.

That meltdown was still on Michael Malone’s mind before tipping off against the Raptors on Wednesday night. But what followed at Scotiabank Center this time was more indicative of what the Nuggets went on to accomplish after that losing streak.

Playing championship-caliber team basketball (and allowing only 20 in the first quarter this time), Denver opened a three-game holiday season road trip with a convincing-until-it-wasn’t 113-104 win over the Raptors.

A 21-point margin in the third quarter got as close as five with five minutes remaining, but Denver’s three best scorers went on a short surge, scoring from all three levels to reestablish a 12-point lead with 3:24 left.

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Nikola Jokic potted a pair of baskets near the rim, hometown kid Jamal Murray coolly drained a midrange jumper, and Michael Porter Jr. hit a 3. Jokic, coming off a rare “triple-single” game Monday in which he didn’t touch 10 in any of the three main stat categories, recorded 31 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and two blocks. He has now registered a 30-point game against every team in the NBA during his career, Toronto being the final step.

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Murray amassed 20 points and six assists. All five Denver starters scored in double figures. The Nuggets shot 54.9% from the field in the first half while holding Toronto to 42.2%.

They turned seven steals throughout the second quarter into 10 transition points, with the young second unit building on its recent run of productive games. Peyton Watson, Christian Braun and Julian Strawther all had steals.

Zeke Nnaji blocked a pair of shots, playing the second time in three nights after a stretch of DeAndre Jordan games at backup center. Watson continued to be the most encouraging bench player at both ends. He shot 5 of 6 from the field, made a 3-pointer for the fourth consecutive game, assisted a Jokic 3 and added four rebounds. He also handled the Pascal Siakam defensive assignment when their minutes overlapped.

The Nuggets outscored the Raptors 62-56 in the paint, 22-12 on fast breaks and 18-10 on second chances. They controlled the glass with a 57-46 advantage. Yet the one confounding area of an almost-complete performance was the foul line.

It wasn’t until a Jokic and-one with 2:27 remaining in the third quarter that Denver tried a free throw. Before Toronto mounted a comeback during the second half of Jokic’s rest minutes, the Nuggets had their biggest lead of the evening thanks to the bonus point.

The reigning champions have struggled on the road thus far, but they have already won three straight away from home to bring their season record back to.500. The weekend before Christmas, they had their sixth road back-to-back of the season against the Nets and Hornets.