Jamal Murray's Fourth-Quarter Heroics Lead Nuggets to Victory
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Jamal Murray didn’t so much close the game as seize it.
The Denver guard erupted for 17 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, dragging the Nuggets over the line in a 123-118 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night, a contest Denver led comfortably early but had to sweat out late.
Nikola Jokic, as ever, was the steady heartbeat. He finished with 27 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, dictating tempo and angles, and when the game tightened in the final minute, the ball naturally found its way back into his hands.
Murray’s fourth-quarter takeover
Denver never trailed and looked ready to cruise when it built an 18-point cushion early in the second quarter. The offense hummed, the ball moved, and Memphis looked a step slow.
That script didn’t last.
Memphis kept chipping away, and by the fourth quarter the game had turned into a duel. Ty Jerome caught fire, pouring in 11 of his 22 points in the final period, and every Denver miss felt like an invitation for the Grizzlies to make it a one-possession game.
Murray answered almost every call. Step-backs, drives, pull-ups in transition — he mixed them all in a blistering final frame. He also added eight assists on the night, balancing creation with aggression as Denver tried to fend off a surging home team.
Jokic finds Johnson for the dagger
The pivotal moment came with just over a minute to play.
Memphis had sliced Denver’s lead to 115-113 on a Jerome basket with 2:42 remaining, the building finally on its feet. The Nuggets needed a clean possession, and they turned to the two-time MVP to deliver it.
Jokic calmly drew the defense, surveyed the floor, and fired a pass to Cameron Johnson on the perimeter. Johnson, who finished with 23 points, buried the 3-pointer with 1:01 left to push the lead to 120-113. It was the shot that broke Memphis’ surge, a reminder of Denver’s composure in tight moments.
Johnson then added more late points to complete his night as Denver’s third scorer, a vital role on a road trip when every contribution matters.
Grizzlies rally, but fall short
Memphis refused to fold.
Jerome’s 22 points gave the Grizzlies a late-game engine, while Jaylen Wells matched him with 22 of his own to keep the pressure on Denver’s defense. Cedric Coward battled inside for 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Cam Spencer chipped in 15 as Memphis spread the scoring load.
Rookie Cameron Boozer had a double-double as well — 13 points and 11 rebounds — and found himself with a chance to etch his name into the night’s story. Trailing by three in the final seconds, the Grizzlies worked the ball to Boozer for a potential tying 3-pointer with 6.9 seconds left.
The shot missed. So did Memphis’ chance to steal a game it had spent most of the night chasing.
The loss continues a slide for the Grizzlies, who have now dropped four of their last five after opening the season with six straight wins. They also fell to 2-4 at home, a worrying trend for a team that once treated its own floor as a fortress.
Nuggets grind out another road win
Denver, meanwhile, keeps stacking results. The Nuggets have now won five of seven, and while this one lacked the ease suggested by that early 18-point margin, it underlined something more important: their ability to close.
They absorbed Memphis’ run, leaned on Murray’s shot-making, trusted Jokic’s decision-making, and watched Johnson deliver in the biggest moment.
Next up, both teams head to New Orleans — the Nuggets on Saturday night, the Grizzlies on Friday — carrying very different questions. Denver will look to sharpen a winning formula. Memphis has to decide how long it can live on comebacks before the season’s early promise starts to slip away.
