Field Level Media
Nov 17, 2019
Jamal Murray contributed a dunk and two assists to a 15-0, second-quarter flurry Sunday night that erased a deficit and propelled the visiting Denver Nuggets to a 131-114 romp over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Murray finished with 39 points and eight assists for the Nuggets, who won for the sixth time in their last seven games.
Jaren Jackson Jr. paced Memphis with 22 points.
Coming off an emotional one-point win in Mike Conley's homecoming on Friday, the Grizzlies bolted out to a 23-12 lead just past the midpoint of the first quarter.
But Denver dominated the final 17 1/2 minutes of the first half, rallying within 32-28 by the end of the first period before taking command after Memphis had managed to cling to a 40-38 advantage in the fifth minute of the second period.
Juancho Hernangomez got the game-swinging run going with a three-point play and a 3-point hoop off a Murray assist.
Murray then recorded his dunk and another assist on a Nikola Jokic layup, before Paul Millsap and Will Barton capped the burst with hoops that made it 53-40 with 4:34 remaining in the half.
Denver extended its lead to as many as 25 in the second period and never allowed the Grizzlies closer than 17 in the second half. The Nuggets' lead topped out at 33.
Murray's 39 points came on 14-for-24 shooting and 7-for-12 accuracy on 3-pointers. Millsap added 23 points and five steals for Denver, while Hernangomez had 15 points and Jerami Grant 12.
The Nuggets shot 55.1 percent for the game, and even better (18-for-32, 56.3 percent) on 3-pointers.
Jackson bombed in five 3-pointers to account for a majority of his team-high points for Memphis, which was shooting for a fourth straight win.
Jonas Valanciunas had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Grizzlies, while Brandon Clarke chipped in with 19 points, Ja Morant 13 and De'Anthony Melton 10.
--Field Level Media