After leading by as much as 25, the Memphis Grizzlies suffered the worst
regular-season comeback loss in franchise history, falling to the Denver
Nuggets, 95-92, on Monday night in FedExForum. The Grizzlies fell to 20-31 on
the season while the Nuggets improved to 34-15 on the year. Denver also won the
season series 2-1.
The Grizzlies’ offense struggled in the fourth quarter, making only 5-of-21
(.238) shots from the floor and 1-of-7 (.143) from three to score just 15
points, setting a season-low for points in the final period. The Nuggets shot an
effective 13-for-21 (.619) overall and made 4-of-10 (.400) threes. Memphis
committed six turnovers in the final quarter, leading to 10 Denver points.
Memphis’ previous largest blown lead happened on April 4, 2003 against the Los
Angeles Lakers, when they surrendered a 23-point lead to lose 102-101.
Marc Gasol led all scorers with 28 points, one shy of matching his season high,
to go along with nine rebounds. Mike Conley tallied his seventh double-double of
the season, scoring 23 points and passing out a game-high 11 assists. Jaren
Jackson Jr. added eight points, seven rebounds, three blocks and a pair of
steals before fouling out.
Denver went on a 9-0 run from 4:12 to 2:33 (1:39 run) in the fourth quarter,
cutting the Grizzlies’ lead to 85-81. With 43.5 left in the game, Barton hit a
26-foot trey to give Denver its first lead of the game at 91-89. After the
Grizzlies used their final timeout, Justin Holiday responded with a three of his
own – the only one in the quarter for Memphis – to re-take the lead, 92-91, with
36.3 remaining. Down by two, Memphis failed to score after turning the ball over
and were forced to foul with 2.5 seconds left, sealing the game.
Despite only scoring seven points in the final 7:00 and turning the ball over
seven times, the Grizzlies lost the third period by just two points, taking a
77-60 lead into the final frame.
Nikola Jokic led Denver with 28 points, scoring 19 of them in the second half,
to go with nine rebounds. Jokic has led the team in scoring 22 times this
season. Will Barton added 20 points while Malik Beasley scored 18 off the bench.
Gary Harris rounded out the scoring with 11.
The Grizzlies shot 35-for-78 (.449) in the game while the Nuggets were 37-for-85
(.435). Both teams had difficulty beyond the arc, with Memphis making 9-of-32
(.281) threes and Denver finishing 8-of-36 (.222). The Grizzlies committed 20
turnovers, which led to 29 points for the Nuggets, while Denver had 15
giveaways, leading to 12 Grizzlies points. It’s the fourth time this season
Memphis has had at least 20 turnovers in a game (0-4).
Memphis had one of their best first halves of the season, shooting 25-for-42
(7-17 3P) from the floor. Denver was held to 17-of-45 (4-19 3P) shooting in the
half. Gasol was dominant in the first half, scoring almost as many points (21)
as Denver’s entire starting five (27). Gasol’s 21 points were also the most by a
Grizzlies player in any half this season.
The Grizzlies were hot out of the gate, opening the game with 16-2 run from
11:46 to 7:54. Memphis shot 12-for-23 (5-12 3P) in the quarter, while the
defense held Denver to 7-of-23 (2-11 3P) shooting. Gasol in particular was zoned
in, scoring 14 points on 6-of-9 (2-4 3P) shooting in the quarter to help the
Grizzlies lead 30-16. Gasol’s 14 points and six baskets were both season-highs
for him in a first quarter.
Memphis’ momentum carried over into the second quarter, making 13-of-19 (.684)
shots, setting a season-high for field goal percentage in a second quarter. The
Nuggets improved in the second, shooting 10-for-22 (.455) and scoring nine
points off of five Grizzlies turnovers, but made just 2-of-8 (.250) threes in
the quarter. The Grizzlies scored 18 of their 30 second-quarter points in the
paint to build a 60-41 lead at halftime.
The Grizzlies will embark on a three-game road trip, starting with the Minnesota
Timberwolves on Wednesday, January 30 at Target Center at 7 p.m. CT. Tune in to
FOX Sports Southeast presented by Pinnacle Financial Partners or listen on 92.9
FM ESPN to follow the action.
Fans who want to support the Memphis Grizzlies and purchase single-game tickets
or 10-Game Flex Packs can do so now by calling (901) 888-HOOP or going online to
grizzlies.com/tickets. Single Game Tickets are also available for purchase at
the FedExForum Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, ticketmaster.com, online
at grizzlies.com/tickets or by calling 1-800-4NBA-TIX. For more information on
the Grizzlies, ‘like’ Memphis Grizzlies on Facebook or follow on Twitter and
Instagram (@memgrizz).
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Media Content: https://www.nba.com/grizzlies/news/postgame/den-190128
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