Bears in the Mile-High City – Grizzlies vs Nuggets Preview

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Elizabeth Smith

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Who: Memphis Grizzlies vs Denver Nuggets

Where: Pepsi Center, Denver, CO

When: January 21^st, 2016, 8pm CST

How to Watch/Listen: FoxSports Southeast, 92.9 ESPN Memphis

Tonight your 24-19 Memphis Grizzlies take on the 16-26 Denver Nuggets for the 2^nd time this season. In their last meeting on January 8^th, the Grizz won in a 91-84 victory behind 24 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 blocks from Zach Randolph. Mike Conley and Courtney Lee were both out for the Grizz. For the Nuggets, Danilo Gallinari did his best to carry the team, ending with 29 points and 8 rebounds. Emmanuel Mudiay did not play for the Nuggets.

This happened between Jusuf Nurkic and Mario Chalmers:

Chalmers vs Nurkic https://t.co/5wredIFDhk

— NBA On Def Pen (@NBAOnDefPen) January 9, 2016

After this, Rio really woke up. He hit two treys and two free throws in the last 2 minutes and helped to bring home the win for the Bears from Beale Street.

Nurkic has had issues before with the Grizzlies, as he and Marc Gasol have had words. In fact, Tony Allen recently had this to say about Nurkic on the Chris Vernon Show:

https://app.box.com/s/7ksfnx7759y0b3r2zr462qdo7u3xiav9

On to tonight’s game…

*The Grizzlies have been bad historically in Denver, going 5-32 there.

*The Grizz will be without Jarell Martin (foot), Brandan Wright (knee), and Jordan Adams (knee). According to CA beat writer Ron Tillery, Tony Allen is questionable tonight (sore left knee/hamstring). The Nuggets will be without Wilson Chandler (hip) and Jameer Nelson is questionable with a wrist injury.

Keys to the Game:

*3-point play – The Grizzlies have enjoyed an uptick in their 3-point shooting, going 48.9% from beyond the arc in the last three games. Opponents are currently making 38.1% of their shots from 3-point land against the Nuggets, which ranks them at #29 in the league. The Grizz should be able to take advantage if they make their shots from The Land of Trey.

*Rebounding is key – The Grizzlies must hit the boards on both ends. Grizz are currently rebounding at 75.9% defensively while the Nuggets are grabbing 77%. Offensively, the Grizz are grabbing 23.8% while the Nuggets are gobbling up 26.9% of offensive boards, which makes them #3 in the league. Denver has yet to win a game this season (0-13) where they have been on the wrong side of the rebounding battle.

*Gasol vs Nurkic – Grizzlies foe Jusuf Nurkic is cleared to play after missing 3 games with a sore knee and ankle. He will likely be on a minutes restriction, so the anticipated Gasol/Nurkic matchup will be abbreviated. However, Marc seems to play hard when he’s mad, so by all means, be your usual annoying self Nurkic.

Next Up:

Who: Memphis Grizzlies vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN

When: January 23^rd, 2016, 7pm CST

How to Watch/Listen: FoxSports Southeast, 92.9 ESPN Memphis

*stats via NBA.com*