Murray's 17-point fourth quarter, Jokic's near triple-double lift Nuggets past Grizzlies 123-118

Jamal Murray scored 17 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter Wednesday night, and the Denver Nuggets used that to hold off the Memphis Grizzlies 123-118 at FedExForum. Denver is now 6-4 and has won five of its last seven.

Nikola Jokic came close to a triple-double with 27 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, and Murray matched him with eight assists, according to the Associated Press recap on ESPN. Cameron Johnson added 23 points and hit the shot that decided the game. After a Ty Jerome basket cut Denver's lead to 115-113 with 2:42 left, Johnson scored the Nuggets' next five points. The last three came on a 3-pointer off a Jokic pass with 1:01 remaining, which made it 120-113.

Denver led for the entire game but never put Memphis away. The Nuggets won the first quarter 35-24 and went up by 18 early in the second. Memphis then scored 38 points in the third quarter, and as Yardbarker noted, Denver's lead was down to 94-90 going into the fourth. Murray carried the offense from there. The Grizzlies still had one more chance: rookie Cameron Boozer missed a 3-pointer that would have tied the game with 6.9 seconds left.

Jerome scored 22 points for Memphis, 11 of them in the fourth quarter, and Jaylen Wells also had 22. Cedric Coward had 15 points and 11 rebounds, Cam Spencer scored 15, and Boozer finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Memphis started the season 6-0 but has lost four of its last five to fall to 7-4, and it is 2-4 at home.

The win helps Denver's standing on the road. The Nuggets are now 4-2 away from home and 2-2 at Ball Arena. It also ends a short slide after Sunday's 110-100 loss at Houston. Denver is 1.5 games behind Minnesota and Oklahoma City in the Northwest Division.

What it means for Saturday at New Orleans

The Nuggets stay on the road for a Saturday game against the Pelicans, a team they have already beaten twice. Denver won the season opener between the two 141-135 at home and then won 104-91 in New Orleans. That second game was the first of the two straight road wins that preceded the loss to Portland.

New Orleans comes in at 4-8 with four straight losses, according to the ESPN standings. The Pelicans also host Memphis on Friday, so they will be on the second night of a back-to-back when Denver arrives. The Nuggets will be on two days' rest.

The results suggest Denver should handle this one. Its four losses have come against Oklahoma City, Golden State, Portland and Houston, all teams with winning records or ones that have played Denver tough. The Nuggets have not lost to a team below .500 this season. The concern is the defense after Wednesday. Memphis scored 66 points over the final two quarters, and the Pelicans put up 135 in the first meeting. A third win over New Orleans would put Denver at 7-4 heading into the middle of November.