Western Conference basketball tips off on Thursday night with a matchup between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets are currently the 2-seed in the West, while Memphis is trying to climb back in contention as they are currently 13th in the conference. Memphis won on the road in their last game, defeating the Pelicans 116-115 as 4.5-point underdogs. The Nuggets are fresh off a home win over the Warriors, winning 120-114. This is the 2nd of four matchups between these two teams, Denver won the first matchup on the road by four.

Grizzlies Win Four Straight

Ja Morant has already made an impact on this Memphis team, he reentrance to the lineup has rejuvenated the team, as they are currently on their longest winning streak of the season. Three of the wins came on the road, as two wins were in New Orleans and the other was in Atlanta. Their home win was over the Pacers, they hope to keep their winning ways and climb back into the chase for a spot in the play-in tournament. In their last game, Morant led the way with 31 points and Desmond Bane added another 27 in the win over the Pelicans.

The Grizzlies have won every game Morant has played in, as this will only be his fifth game of the season. Morant is averaging 28.8 PPG to go with 8.5 APG and 5.3 RPG. He has scored 30 or more in three of the four games. His return takes pressure off of Desmond Bane to be a primary ballhandler. Bane is averaging 25.2 PPG and is knocking down 37.9% of his three point attempts. Bane has scored 27 or more in each of his last three games, including a 37 point game in the win against the Hawks. Jaren Jackson Jr. is averaging 21.3 PPG and 5.8 RPG. Jackson Jr. can stretch the floor with his three pointer, and is coming off a Defensive Player of the Year Award last season. Marcus Smart is healthy again and has been a starter recently, he adds 12.5 PPG and is an excellent perimeter defender. Bismack Biyombo starts inside to allow Jackson Jr. to play the four spot, Biyombo averages just 6.0 PPG.

Xavier Tillman and Vince Williams Jr. played the majority of the bench minutes last game, while their top bench scorer has been Santi Aldama with 11.2 PPG. The Grizzlies currently rank 28th in the NBA in offensive efficiency and 8th in defensive efficiency according to dunksandthrees.com. Their tempo is ranked 17th based on their pace of play.

Injury Report: Derrick Rose, Luke Kennard, John Konchar (Questionable) Steven Adams, Brandon Clarke (Out)

Nuggets Climbing the Standings

The Grizzlies come into this matchup with a four game win streak, but Denver can do one better, as they have won their last five games. Denver swept their small East Coast road trip with wins over Toronto, Brooklyn and Charlotte, while picking up home wins over Dallas and Golden State. They are in the middle of a homestand with this matchup plus two more on their home floor. In their last game, Denver was led by Jamal Murray with 28 points, and Nikola Jokic added 26.

Jokic leads the Nuggets in points, rebounds and assists with 26.4 PPG, 12.3 RPG and 9.2 APG. Jokic scored 26 or more in three of his last four games, and is a consistent threat to get a triple double. Jamal Murray averages 19.8 PPG and 5.7 APG and is knocking down 44.9% of his three point attempts. Murray has scored 20 or more in his last five games, including a 32-point game in the win over Brooklyn. Michael Porter Jr. is an excellent outside shooter, and pitches in on the boards as he averages 16.5 PPG and 7.7 RPG. Aaron Gordon is a powerful and athletic forward adding 13.6 PPG and 6.9 RPG, but will miss this game with an injury. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope closes out the starting lineup as a shooter on the wing averaging 10.2 PPG.

Reggie Jackson plays whatever role is needed by the team, he starts when one of their stars is injured, or leads the second unit. Jackson averages 12.5 PPG and 4.4 APG. Christian Braun and Peyton Watson get the majority of the bench minutes behind Jackson. Denver ranks 5th in offensive efficiency and 9th in defensive efficiency. Denver plays slow, their tempo ranks 29th in the league as they let Jokic run their offense.

Injury Report: Aaron Gordon (Out)