It’s been three weeks since the Nuggets last played the Grizzlies—a game that nearly broke me. After a weird winter storm turned the original Sunday tipoff into another brutal weekday back-to-back, Denver lost 125-118 to a mediocre team (when healthy) missing most of their key players.
As it turns out, I sold the bottom of a v-shaped recovery. Since that slog of a game, the good guys are 9-0 with a season-defining win over San Antonio and The Alien and have looked much better in the clutch. Nikola Jokić has cut down on the turnovers, Cam Johnson looks like the perfect fit on both sides of the court, and Aaron Gordon continues to prove he’s the beating heart (and hamstrings) of our championship hopes.
Which brings us to tonight, the ultimate trap game prior to Friday night’s parting shot at the Thunder before the Playoffs begin.
The Basics
Who: Memphis Grizzlies (25-54) @ Denver Nuggets (51-28)
When: 7:00 PM MST
Where: The Can
How to watch/listen: Altitude TV / + / 92.5
Rival Blog: Beale Street Bears
Injury Report | Nuggets: Spencer Jones—out (hip); Peyton Watson—out (hamstring)
Memphis Grizzlies: Everyone. They have no active NBA players.
The Three Things
The thing to watch for: Can the Nuggets starters get some rest?
With the Playoffs just 10 days away, the seeding in the West is mostly set. Minnesota will be in town the third week of April in what should be another contentious series against the team built to beat Jokić and Murray. With potential rest games against the Thunder and Spurs to close out the season, tonight’s game against an injured-and-tanking Grizzlies G-League squad at home offers the opportunity for the team to start resting the hammies and ankles and knee bruises and gashes that a grueling regular season wrought.
That is, of course, assuming they don’t play with their food, again, which has been a bad habit of this group for years.
The thing to remember: Denver is getting hot at the right time
Tied for the best 10-game record in the league (9-1) and boasting the longest winning streak, the Nuggets are getting healthy and hot with only three games left before they face Minnesota again in Round 1. In that span, Denver has averaged 128.8 points per game and given up 121.5—an elite +7.3 net rating. They’re also cooking from three as they lead the league with a team average of 43% on open looks.
Aaron Gordon and Cam Johnson have been key to the run. With AG in the lineup, the Nuggets have a win percentage on par with the Thunder and Spurs. Without him, they’re roughly a play-in team. Cam, in particular, has been special as a plus defender with quick hands and enough quickness to stay in front of the best wings in the game while he’s shooting 43% from three and 47.5% overall.
This is the team we believed could win a championship in September, and they’re putting it all together in the nick of time.
The thing to bet: THJ Parlay | 20+ points / 3+ threes
Tim Hardaway Jr. (a.k.a. My Wannabe Spirit Animal) should have plenty of shots to rack up numbers against a bad team and, hopefully, in a lot of second-half garbage time. He’s as safe of a bet as any to get his, probably even more than Jokićand Murray who will likely spend more of the game on the bench than on the floor.
