Zach Randolph had 15 points and 17 rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies easily handled the Denver Nuggets 99-69 Thursday night.
Denver, playing their fourth game in five nights and on the second night of a back-to-back, looked lifeless from opening tip, and this game was over from the beginning. The Grizzlies, fired up after the Nuggets similarly put a beat-down on them at the Pepsi Center (sans Randolph and Jeff Green) at the beginning of the month, came out fired up and allowed Denver to score just 11 points in the quarter. After one, the Grizzlies had a commanding 15-point lead.
The Nuggets actually matched the Grizzlies scoring output in the second quarter – and as bad as the first half was, the second quarter was even worse, as the Nuggets scored just 34 points in the final two frames.
Only two players, Wilson Chandler and Kenneth Faried, reached double-figures in scoring for Denver. The Nuggets shot just 33 percent from the field, and a dismal 7.7 percent (2-26) from beyond the arc. The 69 points the Nuggets scored is their lowest total of the season.
The Grizzlies 30-point win over Nuggets is their largest in series history and the 6th-largest in franchise history.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 30, 2015
Given the talent disparity between the two teams, and Denver’s arduous schedule over the past week, it was always a long shot for the Nuggets to win – but to get blown out by 30 points should never happen.
About the only positive to take away from Thursday is that Danilo Gallinari and JaVale McGee got some serious playing time – hopefully it helps get them back into game shape moving forward.
The Nuggets are almost guaranteed to play better against the Charlotte Hornets Saturday night in Denver. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
Zach Marburger is a staff writer for Mile High Sports. He can be reached via email at zmarburger@milehighsports.com or on Twitter @BurchBurger.