Recap: Nuggets finish regular season with win over Grizzlies

The Denver Nuggets started Game 82 of their season against the Memphis Grizzlies with a back-and-forth first period. The two sides were trading baskets for much of the period, and, outside of a small run by the Nuggets, neither team was able to build much of a lead throughout the first quarter. The Nuggets finished the quarter with a three-point lead, and they were ahead 29-26 heading into the second.

In the second quarter, Jamal Murray looked like a man on a mission in this one. He put up 19 points in the first half thanks to a strong start from 3-point range with three makes early on in this one. Denver’s second unit, led by Murray, took advantage of the depleted Grizzlies, and they dominated the second quarter. They won the quarter 37-28, and they were dominating at the half with a 66-54 lead heading into the break. At the half, if the results of the Western Conference held, the Nuggets would be the second seed behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves falling into the third seed if they were unable to complete the comeback against the Phoenix Suns.

In the third quarter, the Nuggets must have gotten the memo that they were playing for the second seed. They came out, and they just steadily took the Grizzlies out of the game throughout the period. Their 12-point lead to start the quarter ballooned to 19 before the end of the period. The Nuggets were ready to put this game away, and they wanted to start preparing for the playoffs. No one was having a superstar level game, but they didn’t need that with everyone contributing in their own way.

In the fourth quarter, it was some sloppy play both ways, but that was to be expected with both sides bringing in the reserves early on. Ultimately, Denver clinched the second seed in the Western Conference with a double-digit win over the Grizzlies. They also came out of the game healthy, which for a team that has dealt with a slew of injuries this year, that is all that they really could have asked for. Denver’s final score in their final regular season game was 126-111.