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Paced by MVP Nikola Jokic’s sixth triple-double of the season, the Denver Nuggets beat the first-place Memphis Grizzlies by 14 points on Tuesday.
Now, the Nuggets are in first place.
The win was their fifth in the last six games, pulling them into a tie with Memphis at the top of the Western Conference at 19-11. Yet, if you take a look around different sportsbooks, Denver’s title odds still trail at least three other teams in the West. Those teams are the Warriors, Suns and Clippers. Some still have the Grizzlies ahead of Denver too.
Golden State, the only of those teams with a losing record, is obviously receiving the benefit of doubt as the defending champion. But the other three teams all have something in common that Denver doesn’t, and that’s a top-10 defensive rating. The Nuggets are the NBA’s 24th ranked defense. Which brings us back to Tuesday’s game.
If the Nuggets want to be considered a real title contender, they have to be better on defense, and things were trending in the right direction even before they played Memphis. Denver has a top-10 defensive rating in its last five games, and Tuesday only furthered that trend. The Nuggets held Memphis to a season-low 91 points on 44% shooting, including just 5-of-26 (19%) from three. Head coach Mike Malone said “it’s just one game,” but he was proud of how physical his team played.
He’s right. It is just one game, so we can’t say this is who they are now. But if they want to contend for a championship, it’s who they’ll have to become. Because their offense is elite, but you can’t win if you can’t get stops.
The Tip-Off
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
The sale of the Phoenix Suns appears to finally be coming to a close, with 42-year-old billionaire Mat Ishbia reportedly set to purchase a majority stake in the team for a record $4 billion.
The NBA’s newest governor will be familiar to some sports fans. He was a part of Tom Izzo’s Michigan State teams that reached the Final Four each year from 1999-2001 and won a national title in 2000.
That was just one of 3 things to know about Ishbia, as written by my colleague Blake Schuster.
“MSU can also thank him for helping the Spartans hire Mel Tuckers the football team’s head coach.
According to Forbes, Ishbia pledged $32 million towards the Spartans in 2021. A few months earlier, he committed $14 million towards the 10-year, $95 million contract given to Tucker following Mark Dantonio’s retirement.“
One to Watch
(All odds via Tipico.)
Milwaukee Bucks (+115) at Cleveland Cavaliers (-2.5, -135), O/U 216.5, 7 PM ET
The Cavs host the Bucks on Wednesday night in another battle of giants in their respective conference. Both teams are 7-3 in their last 10 games, and they’re both getting it done on the defensive end. Cleveland has turned that effort up another notch in its last four games, allowing an average of just 100 points. Add in their 15-2 record at home, and I like the Cavs to cover this small spread.
Shootaround
— Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges were hilariously trolled by Bradley Beal during a little disagreement
— Jimmy Butler missed the Heat’s last game with a stomach bug after eating…crickets?
— Charles Barkley had so much fake snow dumped on him that it ruined his coffee
— The Jeremy Sochan-Dennis Rodman comparisons continue
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