National Basketball Association
Memphis 105, Denver 98
When: 5:00 PM ET, Sunday, February 26, 2017
Where: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Officials: #11 Derrick Collins, #45 Brian Forte, #52 Scott Twardoski
Attendance: 18024

DENVER -- Offenses are surging in the NBA, but the Memphis Grizzlies are showing they can win with defense -- especially against one of the highest-scoring teams in the league.

Mike Conley and Marc Gasol provided the offense, scoring 31 and 23 points, respectively, but the entire team shut down the Denver Nuggets in a 105-98 win on Sunday.

Zach Randolph had 20 points and 11 rebounds off the bench to help Memphis sweep the season series from Denver after playing poorly at Indiana on Friday.

"We brought a whole different mindset to the game than we did the other night," Grizzlies coach David Fizdale said. "The other night we really played the game like it was a rec league game. We addressed it and we played with the proper respect for the game and our opponent. I thought we really competed on both ends."

Danilo Gallinari scored 24 points, Gary Harris had 19 and Wilson Chandler finished with 14 points and eight rebounds for the Nuggets, who have lost three of their last four.

Denver (26-33) had averaged 115.7 points in its previous 21 games, which ranked third in the NBA, but found it tough going against the Grizzlies' defense. Memphis held the Nuggets to 44 percent shooting from the field.

"Once we eliminated the easy buckets in transition and made it a half-court game, it played to our advantage," Conley said. "They're an athletic team and they like to get out and run, so we did a good job of slowing that down."

Denver was held below 100 points for just the fifth time in 34 games. They scored 11 points in the final 1:08 after Memphis was content to trade free throws for baskets.

Nikola Jokic got the final garbage-time bucket to finish with 10 points and 11 rebounds, but he has struggled since the All-Star break. He had scored in double figures in 22 straight games before the break but is averaging 5.3 points since.

"I'm not expecting Nikola to have 20 (points), 15 (rebounds) and 10 (assists) every night," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. "Maybe some people are, which is a little unfair to such a young player."

Memphis outrebounded Denver 49-39 and had 13 offensive boards to help slow down the Nuggets' transition offense.

"We didn't do a good job on the boards and they got a lot of second-chance points in the second half," Harris said.

The Grizzlies (35-25), third in the NBA in scoring defense, had struggled in losing three of their previous four. Teams averaged 105.5 against them before they put the clamps on Denver.

"Our defense was much, much better," Gasol said.

Conley did most of his damage in the second and fourth quarters, and he took over the game after the Nuggets rallied to tie it after three. He hit five free throws and a 3-pointer during a 12-4 run midway through the fourth. His step-back 3-pointer gave Memphis an 87-79 lead with 4:21 left.

Conley was aggressive throughout the fourth quarter, finishing with 13 points in the quarter and went 8 of 11 from the line in the last 7:54.

"We needed it tonight," he said of his offense. "It was a game where we were trying to find a rhythm since we lost two in a row. I tried to do what I could to be aggressive early, got into a good rhythm and carried that into the third and fourth quarter."

After two free throws by Chandler, Randolph hit a hook shot and Gasol drained his third 3-pointer to make it 92-81.

The low-scoring game didn't bode well for the Nuggets. They are now 0-12 when held below 100 points.

NOTES: Memphis F Zach Randolph now has 15 double-doubles, tops among NBA reserves. ... Nuggets F Kenneth Faried was inactive with low back spasms. Faried left Friday's game in the third quarter and did not return. Wilson Chandler started in his absence. ... Memphis F Brandan Wright rejoined the team after missing Friday's loss at Indiana for personal reasons. Wright was available but did not play against Denver. ... Roy Hibbert was in uniform and on the bench for the Nuggets. Denver got him in a trade with Milwaukee on Thursday, but he didn't make it in time for Friday's game against Brooklyn.
Top Game Performances
 
Memphis   Denver
Mike Conley 31 Scoring Danilo Gallinari 24
Marc Gasol 6 Assists Wilson Chandler 6
Zach Randolph 11 Rebounds Nikola Jokic 11
Mike Conley 8 Free Throws Made Danilo Gallinari 10
Tony Allen 5 Steals Danilo Gallinari 2
Tony Allen 1 Blocks Gary Harris 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Memphis 105 45.0 11-33 22-25 21 49 2 9 15
Denver 98 44.0 11-34 13-17 26 39 3 9 13
Upcoming Games
  • Denver will play their next game on the road against Chicago. The Nuggets have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .531 after a loss.
  • Memphis will play their next game at home against Phoenix. The Grizzlies have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .692 after a loss.