The BreakdownGrind
Nuggets turn it over four times, never trail Memphis
Denver gave the ball away four times, led from the 1st quarter on, and got 17 of Jamal Murray's 30 points in the 4th quarter.
Denver beat Memphis 123-118 on Wednesday without trailing at any point. Christian Braun's 3-pointer with 5:35 left in the 1st quarter put the Nuggets ahead 16-13 for good, and they stretched it to 42-24 early in the 2nd quarter. The Grizzlies came back within 89-88 with 0:57.5 left in the 3rd quarter and were never closer after it. Jamal Murray scored 17 of his 30 points in the 4th quarter, while Ty Jerome and Jaylen Wells had 22 each for Memphis. Zach Edey's turnaround hook cut it to 120-118 with 0:20.6 left, and Nikola Jokić and Aaron Gordon finished it at the free-throw line.
| DEN | Stat | MEM |
|---|---|---|
| 50.0 | FG% | 46.1 |
| 36.8 | 3PT% | 41.5 |
| 37 | Rebounds | 42 |
| 11 | Off. rebounds | 12 |
| 98 | FG attempts | 89 |
| 4 | Turnovers | 11 |
Denver gave the ball away four times
The Nuggets committed 4 turnovers. The Grizzlies committed 11.
Cameron Johnson played 30 minutes without one. Denver assisted on 34 baskets and Memphis on 27, with Murray and Jokić handing out 8 apiece.
The last Memphis turnover came with 1:15 left and the Grizzlies down 117-113, an offensive foul on Wells. Johnson's 3-pointer at 1:01 made it 120-113.
Memphis was better from three and at the line
The Grizzlies made 17 of 41 threes, 41.5%. The Nuggets made 14 of 38, 36.8%.
At the line, Memphis went 19-21 and Denver 11-16.
Wells did both: 5 of 10 from deep and 5 of 5 on free throws. His 25-foot three with 0:52.7 left made it 120-116. In the final seconds Jokić made one of two free throws, and Gordon made both of his with 0:04.5 left.
Inside the arc, Denver was better
Denver made 35 of 60 two-point shots, 58.3%. Memphis made 24 of 48, 50.0%.
Jokić made six field goals in a row from late in the 1st quarter into the 3rd, a quarter in which he scored 12. Murray made eight in a row from 0:35.5 left in the 3rd quarter to 5:48 left in the 4th, the last a step-back 3 for 113-104.
Cameron Boozer's turnaround hook pulled Memphis within 113-111 with 4:01 left. Murray's driving floater at 2:58 made it 115-111, the ninth of nine straight Denver points from him. Jerome's turnaround jumper cut it to 115-113, and Johnson's driving layup at 2:04 made it 117-113.
DEN ahead above the line · MEM ahead below