The Denver Nuggets are coming off of a game in which Nikola Jokic was spectacular, putting up his seventh triple-double of the season against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Nuggets star looked to keep his hot play going against a struggling Memphis Grizzlies squad on Monday evening.
Memphis was coming off of a contest where they finally ended an eight game-skid against the Pacers and looked to turn things around as they had lost 14 of their last 16 games prior to welcoming a soaring Denver unit to FedEx Forum.
The Nuggets came away with one of the most unlikely wins of the entire season as they stunned the Grizzlies 95-92. Denver was down by 25 points at one point in the game, but came all the way back to win in thrilling fashion.
Good – Resilient bunch
Early on, there were not many positives in the game. The Nuggets only put up 16 points in the first quarter, they trailed by 19 at the half and looked as if it was going to be another night in which Denver just did not come to play on the road.
But then Nikola Jokic got going in the third quarter, and then Malik Beasley and Will Barton helped secure the victory.
It didn’t even matter the Nuggets were playing without their starting point guard Jamal Murray, as he sat for the second straight game with an ankle injury, this was a game that the Nuggets refused to quit.
Jokic had a sensational third quarter where he finished with 15 of the Nuggets 19 points in the frame to kick start the Nuggets comeback. Jokic started slow as he finished the first half with five points, but he came back from halftime on a mission to turn things around; his best quarter ignited the Nuggets to make a push in the fourth quarter.
In the fourth, it was the Nuggets defense that finally showed up as they limited Memphis from getting any open shots, locked in and truly made things uncomfortable. That led to Denver’s rally.
Barton and Beasley were the heroes of the night, as they came alive in the fourth quarter.
Beasley came off of the bench and took a while to get into the game, but once he did, his energy proved to be the difference. He finished with 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting and it was no coincidence the Nuggets went on their biggest run with him in the game.
Barton hit shot after shot and closed out Memphis, as he scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter. His play was critical as Denver went through Jokic, Beasley and Barton in the fourth and they all made sure to save their best for last.
Bad – Another slow start
The Nuggets yet again did not start out the way that they’re supposed to on the road; the Grizzlies were on top of the Nuggets from the opening tip. Denver started out the game by giving up 13 points in only three minutes and sadly only answered back with one basket to make it 13-2 early on. Denver looked stagnant offensively as they did not move the ball and did not make it a point to get the ball to Jokic.
In the first quarter, it was Memphis that applied the pressure as Denver was not able to get much going offensively. The Nuggets shot only 30 percent from the field and were also limited to 2-11 from beyond the arc.
Over the last 10 games, the Nuggets have been one of the worst first quarter defenses in the entire league. That was on full display on Monday as Memphis started out the game on a big run. The Grizzlies were hitting shots early, attacking and finishing at the rim and left the Nuggets defense confused, which led to plenty of easy baskets at the hoop. The Grizzlies defense stepped up and looked engaged as they limited an explosive Nuggets offense that put up 132 and 126 points respectively in the last two games to only 16 points total in the first quarter.
Memphis, who has been the league’s third-worst offense, shot 52 percent in the opening quarter while going 41 percent from beyond the arc and fed Marc Gasol early and often. Gasol finished the opening quarter with 14 of his 28 points and was a bit too much for the Nuggets early on.
Denver has started out slowly as of late defensively, which is frustrating, but the offense has picked up and carried the slack, keeping the Nuggets out of holes. But with a team like Memphis who slows down the pace, does not turn the ball over a ton and defends at such a high level, starting slow like they did on Monday typically leads to losses.
Ugly – Millsap’s offense
There was a plethora of issues that were uncharacteristic of the Nuggets that attributed to the need for a massive comeback. Issues such as the Nuggets shooting an abysmal 22 percent from beyond the arc, that shameful first quarter defense and not taking care of the basketball. To wit, Denver committed 15 turnovers on the night.
But one thing that truly stood out was the poor play of Paul Millsap
Although the Nuggets won the game with their late-game defense, one of the areas in which they struggled was scoring the basketball.
The Nuggets have been winning games and putting up impressive numbers, and Millsap definitely is a big part of that as his defensive presence changes games. But his offense has not caught up, and it’s been a reoccurring issue all season long.
Millsap has been a Nuggets player that has remained aggressive on the offensive end, and that has led to him going to the free throw line more. Yet, he still struggles on that end of the floor.
Since Millsap has returned from his injury on Dec. 29, the former All-star has not been shooting the ball particularly well.
In Millsap’s last 15 games he is averaging just 10.6 points a game while shooting only 46 percent from the field. He is shooting 33 percent from beyond the arc and that play carried into Monday’s blowout loss to the Grizzlies when he did not record a single field goal, going 0-5 from the field. He finished with four points at the free throw line and also recorded a steal and a block, but his offense did not travel with him.
Denver has to find a way to get Millsap back into the offense and into a rhythm. With the power forward delivering on both ends of the floor, Denver becomes just that much more dangerous of a team.