NBA Champion Nuggets Face Grizzlies, Key Memphis Players Out with Injuries

Grizzlies' Starters Dillon Brooks, Ja Morant, and Steven Adams Unavailable for Friday's Game, Denver's Offense Led by MVP Nikola Jokic Boasts Impressive Start to Season

The Denver Nuggets began the 2023-24 season by defending their first championship successfully with a 119-107 win against the Los Angeles Lakers, led by MVP Nikola Jokic who initiated the season with a 29-point, 13-rebound, 11-assist triple-double.
Jokic has averaged 19.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in his 26 previous matches with the Grizzlies, recording triple-doubles in two of Denver's wins in the last season.
All Nuggets' starting five scored in double figures in their season opener, Jamal Murray and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope both scoring over 20 points, along with a double-double from Michael Porter Jr.
Three of the Grizzlies' key players Dillon Brooks, Ja Morant, and Steven Adams will be unavailable for the match; Brooks was traded to Houston, Morant is serving a 25-game suspension, and Adams is undergoing season-ending knee surgery.
In the Grizzlies' season-opening loss to New Orleans, they struggled with 3-point shooting, a recurring issue they had last season being ranked No. 23 in the NBA - aside from Desmond Bane's 5-of-10 who scored a total of 31 points.