Grizzlies Pan Out a 102-101 Win Against Nuggets

After relinquishing a huge first-half lead, the Memphis Grizzlies were able to hang on for a 102-101 road win against the Denver Nuggets.

Over the last few seasons, the Memphis Grizzlies front office has appointed the tandem of Mike Conley and Marc Gasol as the franchise’s lifeblood. The duo has looked out of sync on more than one occasion during the Grizzlies early season struggles, but tonight, Marc and Mike carried the Grizzlies to a 102-101 win in Denver.

Winning in Denver has been a difficult task for the Grizzlies over the past few seasons, and despite building a huge early lead, the Nuggets made sure this would be another trying contest in Denver.

The Grizzlies opened with a bang, racing ahead to a 37-23 lead by the close of the first quarter. Despite leading by as many as 18, the Grizzlies slogged through the second and third quarters and found themselves neck and neck with the Nuggets down the final stretch. With the Grizzlies trailing by a point with only 23 seconds remaining, coach Joerger called up his usual play for his usual go-to guys: a Mike Conley and Marc Gasol pick-and-roll.

After Gasol set the screen and curled through the weakside of the defense towards the hoop, Conley hit Gasol in stride with a perfectly placed pass, and Big Spain scored three the old fashioned way:

Once again Gasol topped all other scorers, with 27 points to go with his six assists and three blocks, and ensured victory for his team. Conley finished with 20 for the Grizz Gang, while Zach Randolph sank 13 points and pulled down six boards.

The wing play was stronger for the Grizzlies in their hot-shooting first half, and Courtney Lee finished with 10 points, while Matt Barnes, Jeff Green, and Jamychal Green finished with scoring totals of seven, nine, and seven respectively. 

Tony Allen sat out with a reported hamstring injury, and Ryan Hollins, recently signed again by the Grizzlies, recorded four points and four rebounds and provided competent play in the paint in a little under 13 minutes of time on the floor.

Memphis overcame 17-point efforts from both Danilo Gallinari and Kenneth Faried, as well as big second half performances from Will Barton and Emmanuel Mudiay (both finished with 14 points apiece).

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In a limited amount of playing time, Jusuf Nurkic got to reprise his role as a goonish heel for Grizzlies fans who enjoy vilifying the roughhousing big man. Unlike last time these two teams played, Nurkic didn’t stunt or pretend like he has any chance in a fight against Mario Chalmers, but he did get routinely bested in the paint by Grizzlies center Marc Gasol. Vastly outclassed by Gasol, Nurkic quickly bumbled his way back onto the Nuggets’ bench where he remained planted for the majority of the game.

In a 48 minute basketball contest, the Grizzlies did not guarantee victory until Mike Conley nailed two clutch free-throws to put the Grizz ahead by four with a little over a second remaining. On the game’s last play, Mudiay nailed a three point shot at the buzzer while Conley lunged at him then ducked under him to avoid picking up a foul that would have given Mudiay a chance to send the game to overtime. As Conley narrowly avoided contact and the final buzzer signaled the game’s conclusion, the Grizzlies and Grizz Nation could finally exhale a sigh of relief.

It stresses us out to watch the Grizzlies build a sizable lead, relinquish it, and nearly lose. However, there’s nothing not to love about our basketball bears escaping with another (unnecessarily) exciting win.

Who Got next?

The Grizzlies return to action on Saturday night in Minnesota when they face off against future Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett and the 13-31 Timberwolves.