MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Even without Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray insisted, the team Denver brought on the road this week was a good one. Good enough that it should have won Friday night in New Orleans, at least.
With an opportunity to prove his point in a second consecutive game without the MVP center, the Nuggets fell behind by as many as 24 in a 105-90 loss to the Grizzlies.
Murray and Michael Porter Jr. combined for 23 points on a 10-for-27 day from the field while Julian Strawther was the team’s only double-digit scorer until the fourth quarter. Murray turned it over six times as Denver (7-5) lost the first of two games in Memphis. The rematch on Tuesday will feature a different court to indicate group-stage implications in the NBA Cup.
The Grizzlies weren’t playing with a fully in-tact roster, either. Ja Morant was missing his sixth game of the season due to injury. Without the star guard, their next-best options stepped up enough to blow out Denver. Jaren Jackson Jr. went for 20 points, six rebounds and three blocks. Desmond Bane delivered a flurry of late buckets to keep Denver at a distance after the gap was briefly closed to 11.
Murray’s argument in the Nuggets’ defense on Friday was predicated on their execution of the offense up until it was time to knock down a shot. He had a point. They had generated high-quality looks in defeat, largely out of Murray’s play-making against ball-screen blitzes.
Shot-making continued to be a problem on Sunday, but the half-court offense seemed to lack sharpness as well. Denver leaned heavily on transition opportunities in the first half to avoid that, outscoring the Grizzlies by nine on fast breaks and by eight in the paint — highlighted by some mature finishes and passes by Peyton Watson. But that still couldn’t even get the Nuggets within single digits at the break, and Memphis quickly caught up in transition points after halftime to open up a 20-point advantage.
Michael Malone, back after missing the game Friday to see his daughter’s senior-year state volleyball tournament, had no update on Jokic’s status going forward. He said he will “continue to check in with him; make sure he and his wife are OK. But no news there.”
Malone stuck with the same starting five that lead assistant David Adelman played in New Orleans, with Dario Saric at center despite having been previously out of the rotation. Saric was Denver’s second scorer to double figures in Memphis, finishing the game with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
When it was time to make substitutions, though, Malone made a change. His first player off the bench was DeAndre Jordan, who had barely played this season. The Nuggets were out-rebounded by 13 against the Pelicans, a problem that was especially prevalent when Zeke Nnaji was at the backup five. Memphis entered Sunday’s game leading the league in rebounding rate, aided by enormous rookie Zach Edey coming off the bench.
The glass wasn’t a problem this time. Even in a bad overall game, Murray showed solid effort there, grabbing six boards to accompany his seven assists and three steals. Watson, Strawther and Christian Braun each grabbed four or more rebounds.
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