The Denver Nuggets traveled to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies as their tour across America continued. Fresh off a disappointing loss to the Sacramento Kings, the Nuggets started the same group, with Spencer Jones and Peyton Watson filling in for Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon.
Denver launched a barrage of 3s, and the bench played well in both stints without Nikola Jokić. The Nuggets left Memphis with their 13th win of the season.
Final score: 125-115.
Murry Flurry to open the action
The Nuggets opened cold in Memphis. They were shooting under thirty percent from the field before David Adelman called his first timeout. When the action reset, Jamal Murray took over.
He scored 10 points in his first 10 minutes, looking confident from beyond the arc and shifty on his way to the rim. Thank goodness for it, as the early offense looked uninspired outside of his effort.
Murray hit from deep three times in the fourth quarter, helping the Nuggets seal the win. He finished with 29 points.
Nuggets win the non-Jokić minutes
The Nuggets bench went +4 in a 9-minute stint without Jokić in the first half. With Murray running the point, they struggled to close the first quarter. Adelman adjusted to open the second, with Cam Johnson staggering alongside Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr, Zeke Nnaji, and Jonas Valanciunas.
Hardaway Jr. warmed up, hitting back-to-back threes. Zeke Nnaji got in on the action, drilling one from the corner. And Valanciunas fought hard on the glass. Jokić did not check back in until the 5:41 mark.
Adelman opted to play two starters in the second stint without Jokić. Both Murray and Johnson took the floor, and the group won their minutes again. Murray put a mini highlight reel together, knocking down a saucy three and firing off two sweet assists to his big men.
The Nuggets went +9 in nearly 15 minutes without Jokić.
8 ball, corner pocket
Much like the Pelicans game, Peyton Watson found himself open in the corner on just about every half-court possession. Adelman has been clear about his preferred approach in such scenarios. If you’re an NBA player and you’re open in the corner, shoot that thing. Trust yourself to score, and trust that it will eventually stretch the defense, opening the floor for the primary scorers.
Watson tied his career-high with five made threes. He drained four of them in the third quarter, when he scored 12 points, surging in front to become the game’s leading scorer. That wouldn’t last long, as Murray got hot late. But Watson played a big role in the win.
It’s the second time in the last week that Watson has scored 27 or more points. Life is different in the starting lineup.
Joker in playmaking mode
While Murray and Watson carried the scoring burden, Jokić went full playmaker, logging 7 assists in the first half. He recorded his first 10 in just 23 minutes, spreading the rock around and helping the shorthanded group find a rhythm.
It felt like everyone got to eat, from the usual suspects in the starting lineup to Tim Hardaway Jr. off the bench. If they were open, Jokić found them. Even if they weren’t open, he led them to water with an unexpected dish.
One of the best aspects of his performance was the care he took with the ball. Jokić finished with 16 assists and only three turnovers. He recorded another triple-double despite shooting just nine times.
Bombs away
The Nuggets sank 22 threes in the win, just two off the franchise record. It’s tied for the sixth-most in team history. Watson and Murray combined for 11 of them. Jokić and Johnson hit three apiece. Even Zeke Nnaji hit a couple. Denver shot 51% from three.
