It was a case of Déjà vu for the Denver Nuggets Wednesday night, as cold shooting and a slow start ultimately led to a 108-106 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Down two points with 10 seconds remaining, Nikola Jokić’s jumper fell just short at the buzzer. The loss was Denver’s second-consecutive against the Grizzlies, who shot a blistering 16-of-34 from beyond the arc.
A quick 8-2 run from Memphis in the first two minutes of the game prompted an early timeout from Nuggets head coach Michael Malone. Things didn’t get any better following the timeout, as Memphis built the lead up to 17-5. The Grizzlies couldn’t miss throughout the quarter, finishing the first 12 minutes at 68.2 percent from the field and 63.6 percent from beyond the arc (7-of-11), which fueled a 37-19 lead after one.
Will Barton was determined to get Denver back in the game in the second quarter, scoring eight points in the first five minutes of the frame to cut the deficit to single-digits. The Nuggets continued to build on the momentum when the starters checked back in and cut Memphis’ lead to just two points at 44-42.
The two teams traded buckets during the remainder of the quarter as the Grizzlies clung to a 56-55 lead at the break. As shots continued to not fall from deep, Denver focused on getting the basket, ultimately finishing with 36 points in the paint in the first half. Nikola Jokić and Barton finished with 13 points apiece through the first 24 minutes.
A quick 9-2 run by Denver in the opening minutes of the second half gave the Nuggets their largest lead of the night up to that point at 64-58. However, Denver didn’t enjoy the lead for very long, as Memphis responded with a 9-2 run of its own. A late 6-0 scoring burst from Barton helped the Nuggets regain the lead and eventually build it up to 10 points. Denver ultimately took an 83-78 lead into the final quarter.
An extended 24-8 run from Memphis dating back to the closing minute of the third quarter helped the Grizzlies regain the lead early in the final frame. Jaren Jackson Jr. continued to fire away from deep, which included three 3-pointers during the key run from Memphis. Denver tied the game up at 102 with 3:30 remaining, with the contest going down to the final seconds.
Here are three takeaways from Wednesday’s loss.
A second quarter for the ages
After falling behind by 20 points after one quarter, it seemed as though Denver was headed for a blowout loss. However, the Nuggets completely turned things around in the second frame, outscoring Memphis 36-19.
Led by Barton (10 points in the quarter), Denver locked in defensively, pushed the ball in transition, and attacked the basket. The Nuggets had 15 fast break points in the first half, with the majority of them coming in that dominant second quarter.
Cold 3-point shooting hurts again
A trend throughout the first two weeks of the season has been the Nuggets’ struggles from downtown. Heading into Wednesday’s contest, Denver had connected on just 30.1 percent of its attempts from beyond the arc, which ranked 28th in the league.
While the Nuggets were successful scoring inside the paint Wednesday night (60 points), cold shooting continued to hold the offense back as Denver shot 8-of-27 from beyond the arc. As the Nuggets look to get back on track offensively in the coming games, finding a rhythm from deep would go a long way in achieving that goal.
Hyland led the second unit
A big development from Wednesday’s contest was rookie Bones Hyland’s role off the bench. The 21-year-old guard led all players off the bench in minutes (21) and points (nine), perhaps signaling a larger role coming for Hyland in the near future.
In addition to his scoring, Hyland added four rebounds and three assists as the rookie looked to push the pace whenever possible during his playing time. With the Nuggets falling behind early, it made sense to turn to Hyland to help generate some offense.
Denver returns to action Saturday afternoon at Ball Arena against the Houston Rockets (3 p.m. MT).