It wasn’t a thing of beauty, but the Nuggets were good enough at the end to hold on for a 108-104 win over a depleted Grizzlies squad Friday in Memphis.
Here are three takeaways from Denver’s second win in as many games.
1. The Nuggets’ first road game of the season showed how special Nikola Jokic is. Not many players could have a 22-point, 12-rebound and seven-assist performance dubbed a poor performance, but that was the case Friday. The physical defense played by Xavier Tillman and Jaren Jackson Jr. seemed to throw the reigning Finals Most Valuable Player off a bit. He committed nine of Denver’s 17 turnovers. He made up for some of his earlier miscues with a clutch 3-pointer that put the Nuggets up two with 3:44 left and followed with a put-back bucket that made it a five-point game with 2:24 left.
2. The plus-minus stat did a disservice to Denver’s second unit. Of the five reserves who played for the Nuggets, Christian Braun had the best mark, as the Nuggets played the Grizzlies even in his nearly 19 minutes of playing time. Zeke Nnaji and rookie Julian Strawther, who made his NBA debut, were minus-2, while Reggie Jackson and Peyton Watson were minus-4. Jackson led the bench with 16 points on 13 shots, while Watson (3) and Nnaji (2) combined for five of Denver’s nine blocks. Watson swatted back-to-back shots in the first half and had an impressive chase-down block in the second. Nnaji battled against Jaren Jackson Jr. for a rejection and finished with seven points on four shots. Denver finished with a 37-24 advantage in points off the bench.
3. A troubling trend or two is developing. Just like the season-opening win against the Lakers, the Nuggets came out with a very strong defensive effort in Memphis. The Grizzlies only scored 18 points in the first quarter and shot 28% from the field. That effort wasn’t sustained. Denver then allowed 38 points on 60% shooting in the second quarter. Fortunately for the Nuggets, they scored 36 points of their own third and fourth quarters, respectively. Nuggets coach Michael Malone emphasized better transition defense and defensive rebounding between Denver’s first two games. The Lakers finished with 20 fast break points, though Malone counted 30, in the opener. Memphis followed with 22 fast break points Friday. Both teams grabbed 13 offensive rebounds against the Nuggets.
NUGGETS 108, GRIZZLIES 104
What happened: Denver’s defense held a shorthanded Memphis squad to four points in the first 6 minutes, and the Nuggets owned a seven-point advantage to start the second quarter. Despite a strong shift from the Nuggets’ second unit, the Grizzlies closed within 61-56 at halftime. Reggie Jackson beat the third-quarter buzzer to give the Nuggets a 10-point lead to start the fourth, but Memphis erased the deficit and took a lead with under five minutes left. Clutch 3-pointers from Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray helped the Nuggets regain a three-point edge with 32 seconds left. Aaron Gordon came up with a crucial defensive stop before Jokic hit a free throw to create enough separation to secure the win.
What went right: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the rest of the Nuggets did their job against Desmond Bane, Memphis’s best player with Ja Morant serving a suspension. Bane finished 4 of 17 from the field and missed all but one of his 10 attempts from 3-point range. The Memphis shooting guard also struggled with foul trouble in the first half and finished minus-8 in his 31-plus minutes of playing time. Caldwell-Pope finished with five steals.
What went wrong: There were a couple of ugly numbers in the box score. Denver turned it over 17 times, leading to 23 Memphis points. The Grizzlies also grabbed 13 offensive rebounds, which helped the hosts finish with a 54-50 rebounding advantage. The Grizzlies also outscored the Nuggets 23-9 in fast-break points.
Highlight of the night: Michael Porter Jr. showed a different side of his game midway through the second quarter. Porter, known for his 3-point shooting and rebounding ability, caught a Nikola Jokic pass with his back to the basket near the free throw line. Aaron Gordon used an off-ball screen on the right wing to cut toward the basket. Porter ripped a one-handed pass to a place where only Gordon could get to it. Gordon made a nice catch with his right hand and twisted his way to a three-point play with a left-handed finish. Jokic’s three-quarter court alley-oop to Gordon also deserves a mention, but that’s not necessarily anything new.
Up next: The Nuggets conclude a quick two-game road trip Sunday in Oklahoma City.