The Denver Nuggets are stumbling into the All-Star break but they can grab a little momentum when they host the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.
Denver has lost four of its last five after letting one slip away against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night. The Nuggets led by three in the final minute but Cleveland scored the last five points to steal a victory.
Two of the losses were by three points or fewer and the other was a double overtime setback at the New York Knicks. Denver is clinging to the third seed in the crowded Western Conference with a chance to keep that position going into the much-needed week-long break.
“It’s going to be a race in the West to the end, and we got to have a good mindset,” head coach David Adelman said. “Right now, Wednesday is what’s most important to me.”
The glass-half-full view of the Nuggets’ position is they’ve stayed near the top of the standings despite a season full of injuries. All five starters have missed time and six of their top rotation players have been out for significant stretches.
That, combined with the recent tough schedule – three of the last eight games have been against the top seeds in both conferences – has contributed to the recent losses.
Nikola Jokic returned to form after missing 16 games with a left knee injury. He recorded a triple-double in the last three games and leads the team in points (28.2), rebounds (12.2) and assists (10.7). Jamal Murray is second in points (25.8) and assists (7.6), both of which are career bests.
Memphis has lost three in a row and eight of its last 10. The last three losses have come since Jaren Jackson Jr. was traded to Utah that netted the Grizzlies three first-round draft picks along with Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks and Georges Niang. A season that started with Jackson and Ja Morant as the building blocks has taken a turn.
Morant has not played since Jan. 21 due to an elbow injury and Memphis is without Zach Edey (ankle), leaving Santi Aldama as the only true big man to battle Jokic and Jonas Valanciunas. Aldama is averaging 14 points a game while Ty Jerome, who missed the first 46 games with a calf strain, is currently leading the Grizzlies in scoring at 19.8 points a game in the five games he has played.
Memphis signed 7-foot-1 rookie Lawson Lovering to a 10-day contract on Tuesday to help with the frontcourt depth. The Grizzlies could have used some help after blowing a 17-point lead at Golden State on Monday night, losing 114-113 on a late layup.
“We don’t have a lot of mismatched attacking power in that situation because of, let’s say, our big guy situation at the moment,” head coach Tuomas Iisalo said after the game.
The loss was made more painful when forward Cedric Coward went down with a knee injury late in the first half and didn’t return. The rookie is averaging 13.3 points in 48 games this season.
