The Memphis Grizzlies finished the third quarter tied with the Denver Nuggets in a Friday night heavyweight battle between the West’s top two teams.
As Ja Morant got a break on the bench to start the fourth quarter, sitting out for almost five minutes, the Nuggets continued their run. Morant returned to the game with 7:06 remaining, but by then Denver’s lead had grown to 10.
Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets continued to pour it as they pulled away and the Grizzlies fell, 113-97, on the road.
The Grizzlies (38-24) overpowered the Nuggets’ powerful offense in the first half by limiting their effectiveness on 3-pointers. When the Nuggets offense kicked off, Memphis simultaneously entered an offensive drought.
Denver (45-19) now has a six-game lead over the Grizzlies in the NBA Western Conference standings and a head-to-head tiebreaker. The Grizzlies’ lead over the Sacramento Kings for the No. 2 seed has shrunk to one game.
Morant led the Grizzlies with 27 points and 10 assists. Jokic finished with 18 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists.
Here are some excerpts from the game.
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Grizzlies center Brandon Clarke had to be helped up late in the first quarter after shooting a free throw and suffering what appeared to be a non-contact injury. Clarke hobbled on the ground nearly halfway down the court before falling. He needed help in the locker room.
The Grizzlies ruled out Clarke at halftime with a leg injury. Without Clarke, the Grizzlies mostly rotated Xavier Tillman Sr., Jaren Jackson Jr. and Santi Aldama between forward and center positions. Memphis started the fourth quarter playing Jackson at center and using a small-ball formation that included Tyus Jones, Desmond Bane, John Konchar and Dillon Brooks.
Masked Ja Morant looks good
Morant suffered a broken nose in the first half of Wednesday’s game against the Houston Rockets, so he wore a transparent mask against the Nuggets. Along with occasionally adjusting his mask early in the game, the All-Star point guard seemed comfortable with his new look. Morant aggressively attacked the rim and got his teammates involved. He recorded a double-double before the end of the third quarter.
Fourth quarter avalanche
Brooks took on the mission of guarding Nuggets scorer Jamal Murray. The two traded verbal jabs throughout the match, but Murray got the last laugh. With Jokic on the bench early in the fourth quarter, Murray got the better of Brooks and helped Denver take a lead before the two-time MVP returned. With Jokic back, Denver left Memphis behind.
And after
The Grizzlies will stay in the west and face the LA Clippers for the first time this season on Sunday night (9 p.m., ESPN, Bally Sports Southeast). The Clippers were trending higher before losing their last five games. Each of the five losses have come against teams currently projected to qualify for the playoffs.
Brooks picked up his 16th technical foul in the fourth quarter. If the foul is not overturned by the league office, he will be suspended for one game and unavailable against the Clippers.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis grizzlies, Ja Morant falls to Nikola Jokic-led Nuggets
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