In a diabolical scheduling overlap, the Denver Nuggets will play the Memphis Grizzlies today 30 minutes after the Broncos tip off against the New England Patriots with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Needless to say, all eyes in Colorado will not be on Tennessee this afternoon where both teams have an injury list long enough to field a football team.
The Nuggets need this one, though, as the schedule gets significantly harder until the All-Star break. The West is tight—only four games separates the second seed from the seventh seed with OKC’s one seed still in reach. But they may be without the rest of the starting lineup again today as Murray, Gordon, Braun, and Valanciunas all nurse nagging injuries.
The Basics
Who: Denver Nuggets (31-15) at Memphis Grizzlies (18-25)
When: 1:30 PM MST
Where: FedExForum, Memphis
How to watch/listen: Altitude TV / + / Radio
Rival Blog: The Beale Street Bears
Injury Report | Nuggets: Jamal Murray—questionable (hamstring, hip); Jonas Valanciunas—questionable (calf); Peyton Watson—questionable (both ankles); Nikola Jokic—out (knee); Christian Braun—out (ankle); Aaron Gordon—out (hamstring); Cameron Johnson—out (knee); Tamar Bates—out (injury)
Memphis Grizzlies: Santi Aldama—out (knee); Brandon Clarke—out (calf); Zach Edey—out (ankle); Ty Jerome—out (calf); Ja Morant—out (elbow); Scotty Pippen Jr.—out (toe)
The Three Things
The thing to watch for: Cedric Coward, I guess?
Probably the lone bright spot for the Grizzlies this year has been their top draft pick, Cedric Coward. The rookie shooting guard is averaging 14/6/3 and has consistently impressed during a rocky season for the team. Ja Morant is nowhere near the player he was before all of the off-court problems culminated in a lengthy suspension, and now he’s out for a month with an elbow as trade rumors swirl. Jaren Jackson Jr.’s star potential seems to have tapered off, as well, leaving Coward and center Zach Edey looking like the future core the Grizzlies will build around.
The thing to remember: KCP plays for the Grizzlies now
It’ll be good to see Kentavious Caldwell-Pope today who is having a decent season off the bench. KCP hasn’t played much competitive basketball since leaving for Orlando after the 2023 championship run, but he’s getting over twenty minutes per game with Memphis and seems to be a good fit on a solid defense in need of perimeter shooting.
The Grizzlies are stronger upfront with JJJ, Landale, and Edey clearing the glass at the 4th best rate in the NBA and providing effective rim deterrence. This interior toughness notched them a win against the Spurs earlier this month just before they took OKC to the wire. KCP gives them a steadying veteran presence that should help young players like Coward who find themselves on a team in transition.
The thing to bet: Two-way parlay—Spencer Jones and Tim Hardaway +2.5 3PM
With very few scoring options if the Nuggets continue to rest the healthy starters they do have, there will be plenty of shots for Jones and THJ. Hardaway is in a shooting slump that he’ll be looking to shoot his way out of, no doubt, and LinkedIn’s own Spencer Jones has a 63 eFG% thanks in large part to how automatic he is from the corner. The shots should be there for both players today regardless of who the Nuggets end up rolling out.
Lastly, GO BRONCOS!
