Tipoff is scheduled for 9:00 PM ET
Venue: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado (home for the Denver Nuggets)
This late-season Western Conference matchup pits a lottery-bound Memphis Grizzlies team against a surging Denver Nuggets squad fighting for favorable playoff seeding. The Nuggets are locked into the top half of the West and riding a season-long nine-game winning streak, while the Grizzlies have been eliminated from contention for months and are playing out the string with a severely depleted roster.
Recent Team Forms
Denver Nuggets (9-game win streak, dominant at home):
Apr 6: Win vs. Portland Trail Blazers 137-132 (OT)
Apr 4: Win vs. San Antonio Spurs 136-134 (OT)
Apr 2: Win at Utah Jazz 130-117
Nuggets have won 9 straight overall and are 5-0 in their last 5, showcasing clutch play and depth.
Memphis Grizzlies (5-game losing streak, offensive struggles):
Apr 7: Loss vs. Cleveland Cavaliers 126-142
Apr 5: Loss at Milwaukee Bucks 115-131
Apr 4: Loss vs. Toronto Raptors 96-128
Apr 2: Loss vs. New York Knicks 119-130
Memphis has dropped 5 straight and 8 of its last 10, with scoring and defensive lapses evident against even middling teams.
Series History (2025-26 Season)
Denver leads the season series 2-1. Key results:
Mar 18, 2026: Memphis 125, Denver 118 (at Memphis)
Feb 11, 2026: Denver 122, Memphis 116
Nov 24, 2025: Denver 125, Memphis 115
Historically, Denver owns the all-time edge (70-42). Recent matchups have been competitive but favor the healthier, more cohesive Nuggets.
Injury Report
Memphis Grizzlies: Catastrophic injury list with 12-13 players sidelined. Ja Morant (elbow UCL strain) is out, along with Santi Aldama (knee, out for season), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (finger, out for season), Scotty Pippen Jr. (toe, out for season), Brandon Clarke (calf), Zach Edey (ankle), Cam Spencer (back), GG Jackson (knee), Javon Small (thigh), and others (Ty Jerome ankle, etc.). The Grizzlies are relying heavily on rookies and G-League call-ups like Cedric Coward (team-leading ~13.4 PPG).
Denver Nuggets: Relatively healthy. Peyton Watson (hamstring) and Spencer Jones (hamstring) are out; a few two-way/G-League players are unavailable. Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray, and the core rotation are available and fresh.
Key Player Matchups
Stars/Center: Denver’s Nikola Jokić (triple-double machine, recent 35-14-13 lines) dominates inside and in playmaking against Memphis’s makeshift frontcourt (depleted without Edey/Aldama/Clarke).
Wings/Guards: Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon’s efficiency vs. Memphis’s young/undrafted pieces (Rayan Rupert, Cedric Coward, Olivier-Maxence Prosper if active). Nuggets’ length and switching will create mismatches.
Bench/Depth: Denver’s rotation advantage is massive; Memphis is essentially playing an emergency lineup with limited scoring punch. Expect Jokić to control tempo in a potential blowout.
Betting Trends
Nuggets are 5-0 SU in their last 5 and have covered in several recent home games during the streak.
Memphis is 0-5 SU and 1-4 ATS in its last 5; totals have gone OVER in 6 of Memphis’s last 7.
Denver is strong as home favorites against bottom-feeders and has won 9 straight overall.
Head-to-head games this season have been higher-scoring at times, but Nuggets’ recent pace and defensive focus lean toward efficient offense.
Game Odds
Memphis Grizzlies 244.5
Denver Nuggets – 22.5
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Tuesday, April 7, 2026
