Nikola Jokic had 26 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists to counter his nine turnovers, Jamal Murray finished with 23 points, and the host Denver Nuggets held off the Memphis Grizzlies 122-116 on Wednesday night.
It was Jokic’s 20th triple-double this season and 184th of his career.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 21 points, Christian Braun had 14 points, Julian Strawther contributed 11 and Bruce Brown had 10 for Denver, which enters the All-Star break third in the Western Conference.
GG Jackson scored a season high with 21 points, Ty Jerome added 19 points, Jaylen Wells scored 17, Olivier-Maxence Prosper had 14 points and Taylor Hendricks 10 for Memphis.
The Grizzlies have lost four in a row.
Memphis forward Cedric Coward was inactive with a knee injury suffered late in the first half of the loss at Golden State on Monday night. Lawson Lovering, who was signed to a 10-day contract Tuesday, scored three points in his NBA debut for the Grizzlies.
The Nuggets led 30-28 after one quarter and stretched it to 14 late in the second quarter but Memphis finished the half on a 10-2 run to trail 60-54 at intermission.
The Grizzlies tied it at 68 on Jackson’s 3-pointer but Denver responded. Jokic hit one of two free throws and a putback, Murray drained a 3-pointer and Jokic fed Braun for a dunk to make it 78-72.
The Nuggets went up 83-72 on Hardaway’s bucket moments later, Jokic was fouled on a 3-point attempt and made two free throws and got his 10th assist to complete his triple-double on Hardaway’s 3-pointer that gave Denver a 93-81 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Nuggets went up 103-88 with 8:40 remaining but the Grizzlies reeled off 12 straight points, capped by Jerome’s 3-pointer, to make it a 103-100 game midway through the fourth.
Prosper hit a corner 3-pointer and Lovering’s layup — his first NBA points — cut the deficit to two before Memphis tied it with 3:50 left. Hardaway’s 3-pointer put Denver back in front, Jokic scored four points to make it 116-111, the Grizzlies got within a point but Jokic’s putback and four free throws by Murray sealed it.
–Field Level Media
