Preview: Grizzlies Face Uphill Battle Against Nuggets in Denver DENVER (Interstat) — The struggling Memphis Grizzlies face a daunting task Wednesday night when they visit the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. The Grizzlies (20-31) enter on a two-game skid after dropping both contests of a back-to-back in Portland over the weekend. They will confront a Nuggets squad (34-19) that is coming off a dominant 136-120 road victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. Denver has won five of its last seven games and holds a significant advantage in the standings. The teams met once previously this season, with the Nuggets securing a 125-115 victory in Memphis on Nov. 24, 2025. A key matchup will feature Memphis guard Javon Small against Denver’s two-time MVP Nikola Jokic. Small is coming off one of his best performances of the season, scoring 22 points with six rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes in the loss to Portland on Feb. 7. He will need a similar offensive burst for the Grizzlies to keep pace. Jokic, however, remains the league’s premier facilitator. He is averaging a triple-double over his last five games, including a 22-point, 14-rebound, 17-assist masterpiece against the Bulls. Containing him will be Memphis’s primary, and perhaps insurmountable, challenge. The Grizzlies have shown sporadic offensive firepower, as seen in a 129-125 win at Sacramento on Feb. 4, but consistency has eluded them. They have lost eight of their last 11 games overall. Denver, despite a recent three-game slide, has rebounded and looks to build momentum at home before embarking on a three-game road trip later this month. Jamal Murray, who had 28 points and 11 assists against Chicago, provides a potent secondary threat alongside Jokic. For Memphis, forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper, who scored 25 points against Portland, will be relied upon for supplementary scoring behind Small. The game tips off at 7 p.m. MST Wednesday in Denver.