Ja Morant scores 38 points in Memphis Grizzlies road win vs Denver Nuggets

The Memphis Grizzlies had one of their worst shooting games of the season on Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks, but nobody seemed worried. Players vowed that they got the shots they wanted and that they would keep shooting.

That lack of concern was backed up with a big first quarter on Friday night as six different Grizzlies made 3-pointers. Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets offense was playing well, too, but the Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. duo took over to clinch the 122-118 victory at Ball Arena.

Late in the fourth quarter, Morant drove to the basket and as he got surrounded by three defenders, he peaked over his left shoulder and spotted an open Jackson in the corner. Jackson buried the 3-pointer and sealed the win.

The Grizzlies (32-16) led by five points at the half, but it was the Nuggets who threw the first punch in the third quarter. Denver (23-21) started on a 13-4 run and took a four-point lead before Morant started getting to the rim and using his floater to re-gain the lead.

Memphis shot 11-for-25 on 3-pointers and 52% overall. The defense continued to wreak havoc by creating 11 steals and 10 blocks.

Jokic had 26 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists, and former Memphis Tigers standout Will Barton scored 27 points.

Here are some observations from the Grizzlies win:

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Winning without Morant

The non-Morant minutes were not good against the Bucks, and the first half against the Nuggets had a similar start.

After a back and forth third quarter, the Grizzlies led by six points when Morant left the game after the third quarter. When he came back in with a little over seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies had doubled their lead to 12. Jackson was a big reason why. He not only led the offensive effort, but he added four blocks. He leads the NBA in blocks in January.

There goes Melton

You could see the tide shifting for De'Anthony Melton in Milwaukee. Even though he shot 2-for-7, he played with more aggression in a bigger role.

Melton's aggression carried over to Friday, and this time he made more shots. He scored 21 points on 6-for-13 shooting and added nine rebounds. Melton is one of the player the Grizzlies need to step up the most without Dillon Brooks, Desmond Bane and Tyus Jones unavailable. If he can play like he did Friday, the Grizzlies will get similar results.

Depth shines again

Morant and Jackson's production are expected because of their roles. Outside of those two, it's anyone's guess on who will step up for the Grizzlies without Bane and Brooks' scoring.

Along with Melton, Ziaire Williams finished one shy of his career high with 16 points. Jarrett Culver struggled with turnovers (three) in his larger role, but he made two big 3-pointers. Brandon Clarke entered Friday scoring double figures in 10 of his last 11 games. That streak was snapped, but Clarke had three blocks and was a team-high +16 in 22 minutes. John Konchar also added eight points and two blocks.

Up next

The Grizzlies have a road contest against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday (6:30 p.m., Bally Sports Southeast). The Mavericks ended Memphis' 11-game winning streak, but Grizzlies players and coaches admitted to the team being tired after the game.

Both teams are playing some of their best basketball right now and will meet in what could be a playoff series preview.

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Contact Damichael Cole at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com and on Twitter @damichaelc

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies close out Denver Nuggets late in road victory