Surging Nuggets hold off Grizzlies
Nikola Jokic led the Denver offense, but it was his defensive play in the closing seconds that preserved the Nuggets’ fifth straight victory.
Jokic had 28 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists, and his defense thwarted Memphis guard Ja Morant at the rim with about three seconds left as Denver escaped with a 103102 road win over the Grizzlies on Friday night.
Jokic had scored the final five Denver points for the 103102 advantage, but Memphis had a chance to retake the lead in the closing seconds when Morant went to the rim against Jokic but came up short against the Denver center. The Grizzlies were upset about Morant not getting a call on the drive, but official Rodney Mott said there was no foul.
“As far as the last play of the game, I’ll look for the 2minute report,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said.
Will Barton and Michael Porter Jr. had 21 points each for Denver. Jamal Murray was held to a seasonlow three points, missing 13 of 14 shots.
“We won that game and Jamal Murray was 1 for 14,” Porter said. “I think that just shows how good of a team we are.”
Brandon Clarke and Dillon Brooks led Memphis with 20 points each, Clarke adding three blocks. Morant had 16 points — on 5of16 shooting — and nine assists, and Jonas Valanciunas added 14 points and 11 rebounds.
“It was a heckuva basketball game,” Jenkins said. “Two team playing at a very, very high level, especially (going down the stretch).”
76ers 127, Wizards 101: Joel Embiid scored 23 points but departed midway through the third quarter following an apparent leg injury in Philadelphia’s road win over Washington. Embiid, an MVP candidate for his role on the Eastern Conference-leading Sixers, was in his first game back following a week-long absence for contract tracing. He entered Friday averaging 30.2 points and 11.6 rebounds.
Spurs 104, Magic 77: Rudy Gay had 19 points to help San Antonio overcome a sluggish start against shorthanded Orlando. The Spurs opened the AT&T Center to the public for the first time since beating Dallas on March 10, 2020, the day before the league shutdown operations due to COVID-19. Seating was limited to 3,200.
Pelicans 116, Cavaliers 82: Brandon Ingram scored 28 points, Zion Williamson added 23 and host New Orleans bounced back from a lopsided loss with a rout over Cleveland. Ingram played just 25 minutes and Williamson 18 because of how lopsided the game became. Steven Adams had 10 points and 17 rebounds in his 21 minutes on the court.
Heat 101, Bulls 90: Jimmy Butler scored 28 points against his former team, Goran Dragic added 20 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, and visiting Miami beat Chicago for its ninth win in 10 games. Butler, who played his first six seasons in Chicago, added eight assists.
Jazz 114, Rockets 99: Donovan Mitchell (28 points) was one of six Jazz players to score in double figures as Utah cruised past Houston at home.