MEMPHIS (Interstat) — Jamal Murray scored 17 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, Nikola Jokic added 27 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, and the Denver Nuggets held off the Memphis Grizzlies 123-118 on Wednesday at FedExForum. Cameron Johnson finished with 23 points for Denver, including a 3-pointer off a pass from Jokic with 1:01 left that put the Nuggets ahead 120-113. Murray also had eight assists. Memphis rookie Cameron Boozer missed a 3-pointer that would have tied it with 6.9 seconds remaining. The announced attendance was 13,917.

Denver took control early. Christian Braun opened the scoring with a driving layup, and Aaron Gordon added a layup off a Murray assist. Cameron Johnson made a 3-pointer with 8:42 left in the first quarter to give Denver an 11-5 lead. Denver later used a 3-pointer by Spencer Jones just before the end of the first quarter to take a 35-24 advantage. Memphis responded in the second quarter with 3-pointers from Jerami Grant and Cam Spencer to cut the deficit to 42-34. Denver pushed the lead back to 65-52 at halftime after consecutive baskets from Jokic and a running dunk by Johnson.

Memphis opened the third quarter with a driving floating jump shot from Ty Jerome and a three-point play by Jaylen Wells. Cedric Coward and Wells made 3-pointers to help Memphis cut the margin. A 3-pointer by Cameron Boozer with 1:21 left in the third quarter pulled Memphis within one. Denver answered with free throws from Jokic and a 29-foot 3-pointer by Murray with 35.5 seconds remaining in the quarter. Murray added a 19-foot jumper just before the end of the period to give Denver a 94-90 lead entering the fourth.

Murray scored 17 points in the fourth quarter. His step-back 3-pointer with 9:30 remaining made it 104-96. Memphis stayed close with baskets from Jerome and Boozer. Murray’s step-back 3-pointer with 5:48 left pushed Denver ahead 113-104, and his driving floating jump shot with 2:58 remaining made it 115-111. Jerome answered with a 12-foot jumper to cut the lead to 115-113. Johnson’s driving layup with 2:04 left made it 117-113, and his 3-pointer off a Jokic assist with 1:01 remaining gave Denver a 120-113 cushion. Wells made a 3-pointer with 52.7 seconds left, and Zach Edey’s basket with 20.6 seconds remaining brought Memphis within 120-118. Jokic made one of two free throws with 13.9 seconds left. Boozer missed a potential tying 3-pointer with 6.9 seconds remaining. Aaron Gordon made two free throws with 4.5 seconds left to close the scoring.

Denver scored 123 points from 99 possessions, an offensive rating of 124.7. Memphis scored 118 points from 98 possessions, an offensive rating of 120.4. Denver shot 49 of 98 from the floor, 14 of 38 from 3-point range and 11 of 16 from the free-throw line. Memphis shot 41 of 89 from the floor, 17 of 41 from 3-point range and 19 of 21 from the free-throw line. Denver had 11 offensive rebounds and Memphis had 12. Denver had four assists and Memphis had two. Denver blocked 11 shots and Memphis blocked four. Denver committed four turnovers and Memphis committed 11. Denver was called for 16 fouls and Memphis was called for 21.

Jokic finished with 27 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and one block in 37 minutes. Murray had 30 points, four rebounds, eight assists and two blocks in 32 minutes. Johnson added 23 points, four rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes. Coward had 15 points, 11 rebounds and four assists in 27 minutes. Boozer finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in 33 minutes. Spencer scored 15 points with three rebounds, three assists and one block in 20 minutes. Wells scored 22 points with two rebounds and one assist in 31 minutes. Jerome added 22 points, two rebounds and five assists in 32 minutes. Braun contributed 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and one block in 37 minutes. Grant finished with 14 points, two rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes.

Denver improved to 6-4. Memphis dropped to 7-4. Denver next visits New Orleans. Memphis next visits New Orleans.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Memphis 111, Denver 110. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Denver with a 71.3 percent probability to win. Denver had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -4. The total score of 241 went under the over/under line of 230.5.