Jokic caps Nuggets' 25-point rally over Grizzlies

Nikola Jokic scored 24 points, including a go-ahead basket with 28.9 seconds left, and the visiting Denver Nuggets rallied from 25 points down to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 95-92 on Monday night. Will Barton had 20 points, and Malik Beasley scored 13 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter -- when the Nuggets trailed by as many as 19 -- to help Denver win without Jamal Murray. The point guard missed his second consecutive game due to an ankle injury.

Denver was down by 19 at halftime, 17 after three quarters and 13 with 4:31 left but outscored the Grizzlies 23-7 down the stretch to win its third in a row. Marc Gasol had 28 points and nine rebounds, and Mike Conley had 23 points and 11 assists for Memphis, which has lost 15 of 17 games.

The Grizzlies led from the beginning, but consecutive 3-pointers by Beasley and Barton gave Denver a 91-89 lead with 43.9 seconds left. Justin Holiday gave Memphis the lead again with a 3-pointer with 36.3 seconds left, but Jokic drove on Gasol and scored a layup to give the Nuggets the lead again.

Kyle Anderson missed two shots that would have given Memphis the lead in the final 11 seconds, and Denver's Gary Harris hit a pair of free throws with 2.5 seconds left. Conley missed a shot from half-court at the buzzer. The Grizzlies led by as many as 25 points in the third quarter but went cold in the fourth. They hit just three field goals in the final 9:06 -- none until the 2:33 mark -- and were outscored 35-15 in the period.

After the Grizzlies made 2 of 4 free throws to make it 85-72, Denver started its comeback. Millsap sank two foul shots, and Beasley hit a layup and then stepped into the passing lane for a steal and a layup to make it 85-78. Gasol was called for an offensive foul, and Barton drained a 3-pointer to make it 85-81 with 2:49 left. It was the closest Denver had been since the first three minutes of the game.

Gasol's layup ended a drought from the field of 6:33, but the Nuggets kept up the pressure and pulled out the win. --Field Level Media

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)