MEMPHIS – With his signature savvy, Memphis guard Ja Morant stopped Denver’s two-game winning streak.
Morant connected on consecutive ruthless finishes late in the fourth quarter to thwart the Nuggets’ comeback attempt in a 106-97 victory here Monday night.
The Nuggets (4-3) will get a shot at revenge Wednesday against these same Grizzlies. Morant led all scorers with 26 points and also had eight assists and seven rebounds.
“I didn’t think we were ready to play,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “I think we had some guys that looked like they had no energy out there, just kind of fatigued, tired or whatever you want to call it.”
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was sensational, but his supporting cast wasn’t. Jokic finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Aaron Gordon, with 15 points, was the Nuggets’ next-leading scoring.
Overall, Denver was just 9-of-38 from the 3-point line. And the Grizzlies’ bench unit pounded Denver’s 43-34. In addition, Memphis owned the rebounding battle 55-40 and won points in the paint, 58-40.
“We talked all day in preparation for this team that they’re a very good, very physical rebounding team,” Malone said. “We failed to meet that challenge, obviously.”
P.J. Dozier’s 3-pointer at the 4:08 mark of the third quarter tied the game at 73 before Denver’s bench let the game get away yet again. Memphis closed the quarter on a 9-0 run with three 3-pointers as the Nuggets’ bench unit struggled at both ends. The comeback was made even harder when Gordon briefly went to the locker room after getting poked in the eye midway through the third.
After the run, Denver trailed 82-73 entering the final frame.
Despite Michael Porter Jr.’s slow start this season, Malone was confident his rhythm would return.
“It was great to see him rebound in the Minnesota game,” Malone said prior to Monday night’s tip. “Obviously he still didn’t shoot the ball well but he impacted the game with his length and his rebounding, which is good to see. It’s just a matter of time.
“We’ve gone through this with Jamal Murray so many seasons where Jamal would get off to a slow start in terms of making shots, then he’d find his rhythm,” Malone added. “I think Michael, same thing. Once he sees that ball go in, he’s gonna have a night where he’s just shooting into a big basket. And that’ll allow him to relax, take a deep breath and just play.”
Similar to the game in Minnesota, Porter made his presence felt even without a big night on offense. His defensive rebounding was excellent, once again, and drew praise from Malone throughout the game. He also served up several assists to Jokic in a nod to his improved playmaking.
But his shooting — he was 4-of-9 for 10 points and eight rebounds – was still off.
Before the game, the biggest concern Malone had was playing into Memphis’ hands and fueling their transition.
“This team last year, they were first in paint points per game, first in fastbreak points per game, first in second-chance points per game and first in steals,” Malone said. “So what am I getting at? Obviously if we turn the ball over tonight — which has been an issue for us — that is going to ignite a very, very potent fastbreak team.”
Despite a handful of awful turnovers, for the most part, the Nuggets didn’t beat themselves in the first half. With just six turnovers over the first two quarters, Denver hung with the up-tempo Grizzlies, trailing just 60-58 going into the break.
Denver’s frontcourt — Jokic, Gordon and Porter — deserved the lion’s share of the credit. Jokic, with his pacing and tempo, dictated Denver’s offense. He had a game-high 15 points to go along with five assists in the first half. Porter added nine on 4-of-5 shooting, while Gordon offered some aerial theatrics.
