Grizzlies 105-90 Nuggets (Nov 17, 2024) Game Summary

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — — Jaren Jackson scored 20 points and the Memphis Grizzlies built a 24-point lead in the fourth quarter in a 105-90 victory over the shorthanded Denver Nuggets on Sunday in the opener of a two-game set.

The teams will meet again on Tuesday night in Memphis in an NBA Cup game.

Nuggets star center Nikola Jokic missed the game for personal reasons, while forward Aaron Gordon is recovering from a strained right calf. Denver has lost two in a row.

Rookie Jaylen Wells added 15 points to help Memphis win its fourth straight home game. Desmond Bane had 11 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.

Julian Strawther led Denver with 19 points. Christian Braun and Jamal Murray each scored 13 points, combining to go 11 of 26 from the field and 1 of 8 on 3-pointers.

Takeaways

Nuggets: Denver missed Jokic’s all-around game and poor shooting made for a long night. Murray and his teammates couldn’t match the Denver center’s nearly 30 points and 13.7 rebounds.

Grizzlies: The fast tempo that Memphis plays now led to 20 fast break points, forcing Denver to dial back on defense.

Key moment

Midway through the second quarter, Memphis went on a 14-1 run that turned a narrow lead into a double-digit advantage, part of Memphis outscoring Denver 27-18 in the period. Memphis then opened the second half with 10 straight points.

Key state

Memphis, which struggled from beyond the arc in its previous game against Golden State, made nine 3-pointers in the first half to build a double-digit lead. The Grizzlies would finish the night 13 of 39 from 3-point range.

Next

The two teams meet again on Tuesday evening.

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