DENVER — The Memphis Grizzlies came out hot.
Dillon Brooks made a mid-range jumper and spun into the Denver Nuggets sideline section on his way up the court, Desmond Bane hit a 3-pointer that forced the Nuggets to take a timeout, and the Grizzlies won. by 10 with 5:09 remaining in the first quarter.
The Nuggets called a timeout and then everything changed. Denver started out playing like a team that needed a win to enter the playoffs, and the Grizzlies looked like a group that clinched the No. 2 seed a week ago.
The hungrier Nuggets erased a double-digit deficit in two minutes of playing time and defeated the Grizzlies 122-109 at Ball Arena.
The Nuggets (48-33) went on a 17-3 run in the first quarter and never lost again. Memphis (55-25) was 9-for-17 on 3-pointers in the first half. That’s usually an indication of good things, but the defense struggled against Nikola Jokic and his teammates.
Most of the Grizzlies’ early first-quarter damage came when Jokic left the game after taking an accidental elbow to the head from Jaren Jackson Jr. When he returned, the offense went into another gear, shooting 61.5% in the first half. .
Here are some observations of the game:
The nuggets win the energy battle
A loss by the Nuggets would have meant their chances of reaching the postseason would diminish. It’s not often the Grizzlies comfortably beat in hustle stats like they were on Thursday night. Denver won every stat in which the Grizzlies paced the NBA. Memphis went the entire first half without a fast break point. The Grizzlies were also outrebounded 42-39 and lost the paint scoring battle.
Nikola Jokic Factor
Jackson drove the basket and as he raised his elbows to finish off Aaron Gordon’s tough defense, his elbow came down and hit Jokic in the head. The Nuggets were leading 3-2 at the time. The Grizzlies jumped 10-4 in the two minutes he was out. The reigning MVP center returned and made the Grizzlies wish he had never returned. He finished with 35 points, 16 rebounds and six assists.
This was the second straight game where a center has controlled the game against the Grizzlies. If the current standings hold, the Grizzlies could play Karl Anthony-Towns in the first round, so this is noteworthy.
defense fights
It wasn’t just Jokic. Aaron Gordon led the Nuggets with 20 points in the first half and finished with 22. Former Memphis Tiger Will Barton had 16 points on 5-for-10 shooting, and Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland came off the bench and finished with 13 points. . Although the Grizzlies didn’t have their normal production on fast breaks and second-chance points, they shot 48.3% from the field. The problem came from allowing the Nuggets to shoot at 55%.
Bane led the Grizzlies with 14 points. Four Nuggets players finished with 16 or more points.
Following
The Grizzlies have two games left and must win both to secure the best record in franchise history. They will play the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday and the Boston Celtics on Sunday.
Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins. gave an update on Ja Morant before the game and said the team hopes the All-Star point guard can play in one of the final two games.
Contact Damichael Cole at [email protected] and on twitter @damichaelc
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