Memphis Grizzlies edge out Denver Nuggets 100 – 97 in an overtime thriller – NBA Recap
The Memphis Grizzlies recorded a memorable comeback win over the Denver Nuggets in overtime here Tuesday night. The Grizzlies, playing in front of their home support at the FedExForum, were behind by double digits at one occasion but fought back to first take the game into overtime and then win it in spectacular fashion.
Rudy g*y was terrific for the Grizzlies and so was Marc Gasol. The two stars ended up with identical stats, both recording double-doubles with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Tony Allen was also on song, scoring 17 and hauling down 8 boards while O.J. Mayo came off the bench for 18 valuable points.
The Denver Nuggets have relied on Danilo Gallinari in the recent past but the forward was off song today, scoring just 8 points, a terrible 1-of-10 from the field. With Gallinari struggling, other players stepped up to the plate.
Al Harrington, a reserve, recorded an impressive double-double with game high 23 points and 10 rebounds. Andre Miller also came off the bench to score 20 points and had 6 assists while centre Nene managed 14 points.
The first quarter was fairly even, although a little slower paced than what the fans would have expected. Both sides seemed cautious in their approach and the scores remained close until the end, when Denver used a 7 – 2 run to finish on top at 23 – 19.
The Nuggets then started to take a firm hold off the game and were clearly the better side in the second period. They had quite a few small bursts in the segment, including one 8 – 1 run towards the end that helped them accumulate a double-digit lead at halftime, the score 49 – 37.
Memphis though weren’t going to just throw in the towel in front of their home fans and started a fight back after the break. They were able to get the deficit down to single digits by start of the 4th period and looked primed to strike in the final quarter.
The fourth turned out to be a spectacle to behold as both teams played some terrific basketball. A Tony Allen layup brought the Grizzlies to within one point, 84 – 83 with 3:18 remaining. Mayo’s floater then levelled the scores at 89-89 with just around 33 seconds left on the clock.
Harrington made a two-pointer to give the Nuggets the lead once more but an Allen dunk took the game into overtime.
Both teams battled hard in overtime and it looked like the Nuggets might just get ahead but then O.J. Mayo turned up, first with a layup and then, with a huge 3-pointer that gave Memphis the lead 98 – 97. Andre Miller’s shot was then blocked before Arron Afflalo turned it over to the Grizzlies.
The Nuggets then had to foul and Memphis converted their free throws, sealing a 100 – 97 win.
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