MEMPHIS, Tenn. – – Jamal Murray scored 27 points, Michael Porter Jr. added 24 points and 10 rebounds as the Denver Nuggets snapped a two-game losing streak by beating the Memphis Grizzlies 122-110 in an NBA Cup game on Tuesday night.

Christian Braun finished with 19 points, while Russell Westbrook added 12 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds.

Santi Aldama led Memphis with 28 points, matching his career high. Jaren Jackson Jr. had 19 points, eight rebounds and five blocks. Scotty Pippen Jr. scored 16 points.

It was the second match in a row between the two teams. Memphis defeated Denver 105-90 on Sunday. The Nuggets had lost two straight games, with the loss coinciding with the absence of reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, who missed his third straight game on Tuesday for personal reasons.

Takeaways

Nuggets: After Sunday’s loss to the Grizzlies, Denver coach Michael Malone encouraged his team to play more physical. Denver started Tuesday’s game with much more fire, forcing Memphis to convert with a more aggressive defense.

Grizzlies: Memphis is one of the worst teams in the league when it comes to protecting the ball, committing 16.6 turnovers per game. The Grizzlies already had 14 in the first half, leading to 16 Denver points and a double-digit Nuggets lead at halftime.

Key moment

Memphis was already reeling at halftime, trailing 68-57, and Denver opened the second half by outscoring Memphis 15-1 to take the lead to 83-58, enough of a cushion to keep Memphis’ rally in the fourth to resist.

Key stat

Denver didn’t score well in Sunday’s loss to Memphis, shooting 41.7%. In Tuesday’s victory, the percentage was a lot better at 48.5%. The Nuggets are now 8-0 when shooting better than 45%. Meanwhile, Memphis is winless in NBA Cup games at 0-6 over the past two seasons.

Next

The Nuggets return home to take on Dallas on Friday. The Grizzlies host Philadelphia on Wednesday.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba