MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Maybe the NBA Cup just means more. Or maybe the Nuggets realized they needed to approach the final game of their three-game road trip with better energy after getting crushed by the Grizzlies’ physicality two days earlier.
Jamal Murray bounced back with 27 points, Russell Westbrook became the first player in NBA history to record 200 career triple-doubles, and the Nuggets held off a furious late comeback to end their trip up the Mississippi River with a 122-110 win over the Grizzlies.
Memphis narrowed a 25-point Denver lead down to five in the last two minutes, but Dario Saric buried a dagger 3-pointer with 27.7 seconds left, giving his team a 118-110 lead while he was sitting on five fouls.
Westbrook finished the night with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists in 32 minutes. Michael Porter Jr. added 24 points despite shooting 0 for 4 beyond the arc, the rarest of stat lines for him. Christian Braun went for 19 points, six rebounds and three steals. It was more than enough to finally survive a game without Nikola Jokic. The third try was the charm. Now Denver (8-5) is 1-1 in the group stage of the NBA Cup with Dallas visiting Friday for the next game.
“We’re not always going to have the luxury of being able to rely on one person,” Peyton Watson said before the game. “… Without him, our mindset should change. I don’t think that it should stay the same. I think we should all take it upon ourselves that we have more responsibility.
“… I think that’s something that’s a privilege, being able to be in these situations and be counted on and have the pressure on us. Because that’s not every night.”
Defensive stats told the story of the changed mindset early. Seven Nuggets were credited with a steal in the first quarter alone. Watson’s presence was dynamic. Westbrook had one of the best sequences of his season on a four-possession stretch. On offense, consecutive assists for dunks. On defense, an effective close-out against a Jay Huff three and a pick-pocket steal.
Even Murray, whose shot was not falling early in the game, made up for it with good defensive energy. He and Julian Strawther, whose defense was called out by Malone on Sunday, both had two steals at halftime.
The Nuggets wanted to get Murray into a shooting rhythm after a lackluster first two games of the trip. He appeared frustrated after an early fast break when Braun passed to Saric under the basket instead of an open Murray on the 3-point line. Not long after, he missed his first outside attempt from that exact spot on the left wing. After a couple more misses, he passed up an open three in the corner to drive baseline.
Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook (4) handles the ball against Memphis Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama (7) in the second half of an Emirates NBA Cup basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)
His teammates had his back. The Nuggets played through Porter’s hands, and he got to the rim. They played through transition leak-outs. They played through their defense. Strawther made a stunning block of Jaren Jackson. Westbrook was moved into the Jackson matchup early in the second quarter and took a charge to draw Jackson’s third foul.
The officials were not allowing much contact from either team. Saric was on the bench with two early fouls, and when he checked back in for Vlatko Cancar, he immediately picked up his third, sending Cancar back to the scorer’s table. Saric and Watson both sat with four fouls early in the second half. Watson fouled out with 2:25 to go after Denver seemed set on closing the game with him at the five.
Cancar was providing good minutes at the backup five until a stroke of awful luck. After throwing down a vicious driving dunk, he landed and instantly couldn’t put much weight on his left leg. In the summer of 2023, he tore his ACL in the same knee. This time, the Nuggets determined the injury was a sprain. Cancar didn’t return to the game.
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