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Nuggets hold off Grizzlies

Dec 6, 2010 - 8:14 AM Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Chauncey Billups made two key free throws in the final seconds, and the Denver Nuggets held on for a 108-107 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies to finish off a 5-0 homestand.

Nene scored 27 points with 11 rebounds and Arron Afflalo had 25 points as the Nuggets staved off a Memphis comeback for their seventh straight win overall.

Carmelo Anthony was just 4-fo-20 from the field while scoring 13 points.

Rudy Gay had 24 points to lead five Memphis starters who scored in double- figures, but the Grizzlies lost their third straight.

Memphis' Mike Conley hit a three-pointer with 0.1 seconds left on the clock for the final margin after Billups made his foul shots at the other end.

It was a tight finish to a game the Nuggets led by as many as 21 points in the first half.

"We've had a habit on this homestand of getting big leads and losing them, so we have to do a much better job of maintaining our focus and maintaining the lead," said Afflalo.

The Grizzlies, down by 15 at halftime, clawed back with a 30-14 third quarter to take a one-point lead into the final 12 minutes. Zach Randolph had nine points in the frame and the Memphis defense held Denver to just 23 percent shooting.

Gay hit two foul shots in the opening moments of the fourth quarter to finish off a 23-5 Grizzlies run that started with about eight minutes left in the third.

The shots gave Memphis a three-point lead, but Denver rebounded with a 15-6 spurt, taking a 91-85 lead on Afflalo's three-pointer with 7:33 left.

The Nuggets never relinquished the lead, going ahead by as many as nine when Anthony's jumper made it 100-91 at the 2:56 mark.

The Grizzlies later pulled within three on Xavier Henry's jump shot and they got within two points twice -- on Mike Conley's layup and Henry's alley-oop put in to make it 106-104 with 5.3 seconds left.

But Billups, among the best free-throw shooters in the league, hit two foul shots at the other end with 4.8 ticks remaining that gave Denver enough to survive a last-second three.

Conley ended with 19 points, Randolph had 18, Henry scored 17 and Marc Gasol added 10 to give all five Memphis starters double-digit points.

The Grizzlies out-shot Denver 52 percent to 45 for the game, although the roles were reversed early on.

The Nuggets shot 60 percent in the first quarter and Afflalo had 10 points in leading them to a 33-16 advantage. Memphis came back with a 72-percent shooting performance in the second, but still trailed 62-47 at halftime.

Game Notes

Denver will follow its five-game homestand with four straight road tilts...The Nuggets have won 24 of their last 25 meetings with Memphis at home.