Sports Mole previews Monday’s NBA clash between Memphis Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets, including predictions, team news and form guides.
The Memphis Grizzlies and the Denver Nuggets will both be looking to return to winning ways when they go head to head in Monday’s matchup at the FedExForum.
The home side suffered a second straight defeat in their last outing against the Golden State Warriors, while the visitors saw their five-game winning streak snapped by the New Orleans Pelicans.
Match preview
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After kicking off their three-game road trip with a resounding 134-89 triumph over the Portland Trailblazers on Monday, the Grizzlies headed into their clashes against the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors on a high but have now come away empty-handed from both encounters.
Taylor Jenkins‘s men recovered from a slow start in the first quarter to take a five-point lead with 12 minutes to go against the Lakers, albeit all to no avail as they would go on to lose 128-123 at the Crypto Arena on Thursday.
The Grizzlies came out fighting early on against the Warriors in their most recent outing on Saturday but were eventually undone over the second and third quarters, leaving them with a 15-point deficit to make up heading into the final 12 minutes.
A 123-118 defeat last time out means the Grizzlies have now dropped to 7-6 for the season to sit ninth in what is increasingly becoming a tightly-packed Western Conference less than a month into the campaign.
Returning back to their home court for the first of three straight matches in front of their fans, the Grizzlies will now seek to string together a run of wins and get themselves back on track following two defeats on the bounce.
However, standing in the Grizzlies’ way on Monday is a Nuggets side who have come out on top in each of the last five and seven of the last eight encounters between the teams, highlighting their dominance in this fixture.
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Off the back of a disappointing second-round playoff exit against the Minnesota Timberwolves last season, the Denver Nuggets were expected to come back stronger this term, although consecutive defeats against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Clippers in their first two outings suggested otherwise.
However, Michael Malone‘s men would go on to win seven of their subsequent eight matches and headed into Saturday’s clash against the New Orleans Pelicans as favourites despite the absence of Nikola Jokic.
Given that their opponents on the day were missing several key players, the Nuggets would have backed themselves to successfully navigate the challenge of the Pelicans without their all-star center, but that was not the case as the 2023 champions were held to under 100 points for the first time this season since their curtain-raiser.
That was a less than ideal start for the Nuggets to their three-game road trip after enjoying home comfort in each of their most recent five involvements prior to the trip to New Orleans last time out.
Monday’s game is the first of back-to-back duels for the visitors against their hosts before taking on the Dallas Mavericks, the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks in a potentially daunting run of matches.
Memphis Grizzlies NBA form:
Denver Nuggets NBA form:
Team News
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Desmond Bane returned to action from a strained right oblique off the bench against the Warriors, and the guard is expected to feature under a minutes restriction here once again.
This should see Scotty Pippen Jr retain his starting berth alongside Jaylen Wells in the backcourt, with floor general Ja Morant currently unfit to participate due to an ankle problem.
Brandon Clarke (toe) and Vince Williams Jr (lower leg) also made their respective comebacks for the Grizzlies last time out, where the former slotted straight back into the starting lineup.
Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic could be back in contention for the Nuggets on Monday after his unavailability against the Pelicans due to personal reasons.
Meanwhile, Aaron Gordon is still sidelined with a calf problem and is one of only two guaranteed absentees for the away side alongside DaRon Holmes II (Achilles tendon).
Memphis Grizzlies possible starting five:
Pippen Jr., Wells; Aldama, Jackson; Clarke
Denver Nuggets possible starting five:
Murray, Braun; Porter Jr., Watson; Jokic
We say: Nuggets to win by 5+ points
Both teams could potentially be without their best players in Morant and Jokic, but the Nuggets should have enough about themselves to see off their hosts and bounce back from a disappointing defeat last time out.
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