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Since the All-Star Break, the Denver Nuggets have been nearly unstoppable. While this wasn’t the case heading into the All-Star Break, with the Nuggets dropping three straight games heading in […]
Since the All-Star Break, the Denver Nuggets have been nearly unstoppable. While this wasn’t the case heading into the All-Star Break, with the Nuggets dropping three straight games heading in to the midseason hiatus, Denver won 14 of their next 16 games heading into Monday night’s matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies: falling once in overtime to Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns, and losing to the Dallas Mavericks on an improbable buzzer-beater shot by Kyrie Irving.
With another win against a Grizzlies team that was missing more than just Ja Morant, the Nuggets are now 15-2 in their last 17 games, and the defending NBA champions are catching fire at the right time with the 2023-24 NBA playoffs less than a month away.
Denver’s last win came in Portland against the Trailblazers with the Nuggets down their two best players: Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. It didn’t matter, as a balanced effort (and not a Michael Porter Jr. masterclass as many expected) led the Nuggets to victory on the road.
Back at home on Monday night, the Nuggets were without Murray once again, with Aaron Gordon also sitting out due to foot soreness. With the playoffs in the crosshairs and the Nuggets entering the night with the top seed in the Western Conference, coupled with the weaker opponent, there was no reason for Nuggets coach Michael Malone to overextend two of his full-time starters.
Christian Braun (17 points, 5 rebounds) and Reggie Jackson (15 points, 8 assists) got the starts in place of the injured Gordon and Murray.
The Nuggets jumped out to a 39-24 lead after the first quarter, thanks to 17 quick points from Jokic and contributions from the entire starting five. By halftime, the Nuggets led by 25 points with a score of 69-44.
The Grizzlies cut Denver’s lead to 15 points with 5:48 to play in the third quarter on a GG Jackson layup, but that’s as close as Memphis got for the rest of the game.
Peyton Watson took advantage of some extended minutes, including an emphatic block smacked off the backboard in the fourth quarter. Watson also recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in 22 minutes. Watson also tied Justin Holiday with a team-high +22 court rating.
The Nuggets won the fourth quarter 29-27, largely emptying their bench including two-way G-League players, and won the game 128-103.
Jokic finished with a near-triple double, with 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists. Holiday notched 11 points in 22 minutes off the bench, and Julian Strawther added 14 points in 22 minutes.
The victory was the Nuggets eighth wire-to-wire win of the season, with the team not trailing at any point on the game.
With the win, the Nuggets improve to 51-21 (as well as 29-6 at Ball Arena) to open up a 1.0 game lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder and a 1.5 game lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the race for the top seed in the Western Conference. Denver has won four straight games and 15 of 17 since the All-Star Break in February.
The Grizzlies fall to 24-48 and sit 13th in the Western Conference, already eliminated from playoff contention prior to Monday night’s matchup.
Header Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated
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