• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Grizzlies visit Denver

Jan 3, 2015 - 2:43 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Memphis Grizzlies have won three straight and will try to extend that streak Saturday night when they visit the Pepsi Center to meet the Denver Nuggets.

Two of Memphis' wins during this run came on the road, including Friday's 109-106 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Mike Conley scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half as the Grizzlies climbed out of a hole, then held on down the stretch.

Kobe Bryant scored his only points of the fourth quarter on a 3 that got the Lakers within 106-105 with 24.2 seconds left. He nearly sent the game to overtime with an off-balance 3 from near the left sideline with just 0.6 ticks remaining, but the ball hit off the far side of the rim as time expired.

"In the second half we started getting stops and hitting shots," Conley said. "We've been in a lot of situations when we've been behind but we have a lot of confidence we can win."

Marc Gasol added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Southwest Division-leading Grizzlies, who have won three in a row on the heels of a season-long four-game losing streak. Beno Udrih scored 16 off the bench and Conley had nine assists.

The Grizzlies were without leading rebounder and third-leading scorer Zach Randolph (knee) for a sixth consecutive game.

The Nuggets have lost three in a row, including two straight at home.

Their most recent setback came on Thursday night in Chicago. Denver fell to the Bulls, 106-101, as it has allowed 100-plus points in six consecutive contests.

Wilson Chandler had 22 points and Ty Lawson scored 20 to lead the Nuggets, who have lost 12 of their last 16. Denver's road losing streak reached seven games since a win against Utah on Dec. 1.

Kenneth Faried finished with 18 points and 19 rebounds. Arron Afflalo chipped in 19 and Jusuf Nurkic registered a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Nuggets led by as many as 13 points early in the second half, but the Bulls took the lead for good with 6:14 left in the game. Chicago never let up and sent Denver back home with a loss.

"We didn't get back in transition," said Nuggets coach Brian Shaw. "In that third quarter we were casual and (Rose) was pushing it. He got a couple of layups, Jimmy Butler got out in transition and got a couple. We warned them Derrick Rose was going to be a lot more aggressive in the second half; he was."

The Bulls blocked a franchise-record 18 shots and committed only seven turnovers.

The Grizzlies have won two straight versus the Nuggets, but are 2-11 in their last 13 stops in Denver.