The Denver Nuggets clearly felt they had something to prove against the Memphis Grizzlies. After failing to capitalize on a chance to clinch a playoff berth earlier in the week, the Nuggets not only secured their spot in the postseason, but did so in dominant fashion, defeating the Grizzlies 122-109 with Nikola Jokić's piece of NBA history serving as the backdrop.
The game began with an early scare when Jokić took an incidental hit to the head from Jaren Jackson Jr, but the Nuggets center returned shortly after. But at the 9:07 mark, the Grizzlies had already taken an early 10-4 lead.
Memphis had the collective hot hand early on, hitting four of their first six three-point attempts and starting 9-of-14 from the field. Aaron Gordon kept the Nuggets afloat with 14 early points on 5-of-6 shooting and a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.
Behind 22 combined points from Gordon and Jokić, the Nuggets stormed out to a 16-0 run -- and 22-8 run overall -- to finish the first quarter with a 34-30 lead.
The hot shooting continued into the second quarter, with Bones Hyland joining the fun. The flashy rookie scored 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting in his first 10 minutes. With 5:33 to go in the half, it was all Nuggets, as they held a 58-42 lead.
Through the remainder of the half, the Nuggets successfully answered each push by Memphis. At the break, it was 70-53 in Denver's favor.
The Nuggets' onslaught continued in the third, going on a 14-6 run to begin the half. Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins attempted to stop the bleeding with an early timeout, but Denver had already built a 25-point advantage at the 7:33 mark.
From there, it was smooth sailing for the Nuggets, who extended their lead to 30 before the third quarter buzzer sounded. Heading into the final 12 minutes, Denver had full control over their playoff berth, leading 105-78.
With the result already decided, Jokić scored his 31st point of the night, making NBA history by becoming the first player to accrue 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 500 assists in a single season. Following the game, head coach Michael Malone said of Jokić, "The MVP is not even a competition."
Jokić finished the night with 35 points, 16 rebounds, six assists, and four steals. Meanwhile, Gordon put together another strong outing with 22 points on 7-of-11 from the field. Hyland had 16 of his own off the bench.
In an all-out effort, the Nuggets clinched their spot in the NBA Playoffs with a 122-109 victory over the Grizzlies, with Jokić cementing himself in the league's history books.