Denver @ Memphis preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 10, 2018 ) Memphis 99, Denver 105

The Memphis Grizzlies picked on the depleted Indiana Pacers to snap an eight-game slide on Saturday and are playing for pride. The Grizzlies will try to post consecutive wins for the first time since Christmas when they host the Denver Nuggets on Monday.

Memphis' victory on Saturday improved the team to 4-19 over its last 23 games and came on the heels of news that the team is shopping veterans Marc Gasol and Mike Conley. "We needed it bad," Gasol told reporters after the 106-103 victory. "We've needed it for a while. It's not like we had that feeling, but we kind of figured out how to work together on the defensive end and that took away a lot of pressure for the offense and throughout the game." The Grizzlies will need to work together again to try to find a way to stop Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, who collected 32 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists on Saturday to record his seventh triple-double of the season in a 126-110 triumph over the Philadelphia 76ers. "He's proven once again why he’s an All-NBA, all-star type player and thank goodness he's wearing a Nuggets uniform," Denver coach Michael Malone told reporters of Jokic.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, Altitude (Denver), FS Southeast (Memphis)

ABOUT THE NUGGETS (33-15): Jokic returned to the lineup Saturday after sitting out a 132-95 win over the Phoenix Suns the previous night while serving a one-game suspension for leaving the bench area during an altercation at Utah on Wednesday. "Obviously, it was an unfortunate situation, but it was just one game," Malone told reporters. "He came back and did what we expect Nikola to do. He was a huge part of our attack, getting him the ball and he made the right play time and time again, scoring and finding a teammate." Jokic recorded at least a double-double in 12 of his 13 games this month.

ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (20-30): Memphis dropped eight in a row before breaking through against the Pacers. "It's more pride than anything," Grizzlies coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters. "It's being proud of those guys in the locker room. That's the only thing. To watch them compete the way they did for four quarters, I couldn't be more proud of them. With the spirit that they played with and the competitive edge that they played with, I think that's the best word." Conley and Gasol combined for 40 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds in the win and have largely ignored any suggestion they might be traded.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Grizzlies PF JaMychal Green (knee pain) sat out the second half Saturday and is day-to-day.

2. Nuggets SG Gary Harris is 3-of-14 from 3-point range over the last four games.

3. The teams split the first two meetings this season, with Memphis earning an 89-87 home win on Nov. 7.

PREDICTION: Nuggets 108, Grizzlies 99