After a win over the Grizzlies on Tuesday, the Nuggets woke up in first place in the West on Wednesday. This is not totally surprising. Nikola Jokić is making a case for his third straight MVP, the team is the healthiest it’s been in years and the offense is humming. What’s surprising is how Denver beat Memphis on Tuesday: with a great defensive performance.
The Nuggets held the Grizz to only 91 points, by far their stingiest total of the season. It was only the fourth time Denver held an opponent to under 100 points this year. Memphis’s 14 points in the first quarter and 40 points in the first half were also season-bests for the Nuggets.
Unfortunately, these kinds of nights are few and far between for Denver. On one hand, it’s promising the team showed the potential to slow down a top-10 offense. On the other, if the Nugs are serious about being title contenders, it doesn’t matter where they finish in the West; they need to start defending.
