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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Jamal Murray had 21 points, Nikola Jokic had 15 points and 15 rebounds and the defending champion Denver Nuggets beat the Memphis Grizzlies 126-111 to advance to the Western Conference. secured the second seed. Sunday.
The Nuggets (57-25) matched the franchise’s best win total and finished with the same record as Oklahoma City, but the head-to-head tiebreaker gave the Thunder the top spot in the West. Minnesota’s loss to Phoenix dropped the Timberwolves to third place, one game behind Denver.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone said the key to matching the franchise record is “not to be satisfied with last year.”
“It’s great to tie the franchise record for wins in a season, especially right after winning a championship,” Malone said. “That’s what we’ve been chanting all year. We’re not satisfied.”
Denver entered the game in a three-way tie with Minnesota and Oklahoma City. It was the first time such an upset occurred on the final day of the season, when three teams had a chance at the No. 1 seed. The Thunder defeated Dallas to take the lead.
The Nuggets will face either the New Orleans Pelicans or the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoff series. The Pelicans will host the Lakers in a play-in game on Tuesday night.
“I’m really happy to finish the regular season,” Malone said. “We have the No. 2 seed, so we’re going to tune in on Tuesday night to watch New Orleans vs. Los Angeles.”
Christian Braun had 19 points and Aaron Gordon added 15 points for the Nuggets.
“Right now we’re just establishing our identity,” said Denver forward Michael Porter Jr., who had 12 points, five rebounds and four assists. “Our core members, it’s been a long time since we watched them play together. We developed chemistry.”
GG Jackson led Memphis with a career-high 44 points. Jake LaRabia scored 29 points for the Grizzlies, who finished 13th in the West Division with a record of 27 wins and 55 losses. Memphis ended the season with a five-game losing streak.
Jackson, the 45th pick in last year’s draft, started the season as a two-way player. He signed a multi-year contract in February and broke the 40-point mark in the final game of the season.
“This is the most adversity I’ve ever had to deal with mentally,” Jackson said of this season. “My entire career in basketball has been very smooth with everything given to me. … I just had to grind and polish.”
Denver was unable to build a big lead in the first half, but a 9-0 run in the second half gave them a 66-54 lead at halftime. Denver shot 51% in the first half, with Murray scoring 19 points.
Denver opened the second half on an 11-2 run to extend the lead to 21, and the Nuggets were relieved at home with their starter missing for the fourth quarter.
Denver’s key players like Jokic and Murray were listed as questionable before the game, but all of the team’s regular starters played.
Memphis’ season was derailed by injuries that sidelined many key players for long periods of time. The Grizzlies used just eight players against Denver, most of them on two-way contracts for 10 days. Just last season, Memphis was the No. 2 seed in the West.
“Every season brings us something different,” coach Taylor Jenkins said. “Obviously, this was something that no one expected.”
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
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