Nuggets Fend Off Grizz

Colin Rafferty –

Your Memphis Grizzlies lost last night to the Denver Nuggets 125-115, inside FedEx Forum.

The game was looking to be a battle all night until Zach Edey left the game with a head injury, only posting 6 minutes of play.

It is unclear what happened, but everyone seems to think it was during a play where Nikola Jokic, hit him in the head battling for position down low.

Nothing cheap, just unfortunate.

The Grizzlies did their best to hang in there with the Nuggets, but the phenomenal play by Jamal Murray and the lights out shooting of Peyton Watson sunk them.

The three-point line was unattended most of the night, leaving the Nuggets to hit 51% of their attempts. Off ball screens and guys trying to shade help gave them those opportunities.

Despite all of that, the Grizzlies team stats weren’t awful. Only the shooting percentages were lopsided, in favor of the Nuggets.

Jock Landale played a great game, after losing Edey, as he put up 26 points and 10 rebounds. He shot the ball well from deep and had some good low man moves to get him around the basket.

Jaylen Wells also looked better last night as he posted 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. His shot isn’t falling at the same clip as it did last year, but that hasn’t stopped him from finding other spots on the floor to hit.

Other Grizzlies that contributed were Cam Spencer and Santi Aldama. Cam had 18 pts and 4 assists, while Santi had 12 pts, 6 reb, and 6 assists.

Despite the loss, the game was fun and the kids in the crowd last night provided the noise in some key moments; you could hear them chanting “defense” throughout the game.

Something to note, there was a lot of talk about how Ja and new head coach Toumas Iisalo’s relationship at the beginning of this season. It was rough and messy, but things seem to have leveled out a bit.

Multiple times throughout the game I watched Ja be involved in the huddles, talking to individual players, being present in the next few plays, and then talking with Iisalo about what he would want to see if he was on the court.

A stark difference to when our star was sitting at the end of the bench, now he is in between the coaching staff and talking it up while play is going on.

Things are looking better, they haven’t won a lot, but they look like a better team. Once Ja and a few others get back on the court, the guys who have been contributing well will only get better.

Just keep on improving as best you can, and hope that Edey’s loss last night was only for that game. He clearly makes a huge impact, defensively and offensively.

Losing a game like those sucks, but I cannot overstate how impressive it is to watch Nikola Jokic. He does everything pass, shoot, get guys open, set good screens, just an incredible player.

He hit a momentum killing three-pointer at the end of the 3rd quarter to put the Nuggets up 8, he hit that shot from just inside the half court line. It wasn’t a heaved up shot either, he set his feet, threw the ball behind his head, and swish.

Jokic also had the nail in the coffin pass, with about 30 seconds left, threw a behind the back bounce pass to Peyton Watson standing right under the basket. It was magic, the crowd who was still there, collectively said “WOW” and the game was over.

It was like a flashbang went off inside the Forum, the fans couldn’t believe it, and they weren’t all that upset about it because it was such an incredible pass.

For a guy that big it’s crazy how he moves like poetry in motion.

The Grizzlies will head down the Mighty Mississippi to take on the New Orleans Pelicans for their 3rd NBA Cup game on Wednesday. The Grizzlies would love to get another win to keep their chances alive in the NBA Cup group stage.

This will mark the first of a three-game road trip that also include the Clippers and Kings. This looks like a great opportunity to get a couple wins under the belt, as these teams all have similar records to the Grizz.

Wednesday’s game against the Pelicans will tip off at 7 PM CST. Look out for the preview tomorrow.