The woeful Denver Nuggets saw their losing streak grow to 14 games in a 96-86 loss at The Pyramid to the Memphis Grizzlies, who got a season-high 24 points and 10 rebounds from Stromile Swift and 20 points from Wesley Person.
The Nuggets’ slide matches the third longest in franchise history. In the pivotal third quarter, the Grizzlies shot 55 percent (12-for-22) from the field and outscored the Nuggets, 34-20.
Playing in his first home game since being acquired from Orlando on February 19, Memphis’ Mike Miller chipped in five of his 12 points during the period. The 6-8 swingman, who had been sidelined with back spasms, nailed a 3-pointer in the final seconds to open a 78-63 cushion.
Swift’s alley-oop layup with 10:03 left gave Memphis its biggest lead at 85-65 and helped the Grizzlies earn a split of their four-game season series with the Nuggets.
Jason Williams registered 14 assists for the Grizzlies. Juwan Howard, rookie Nene Hilario and Rodney White scored 14 points apiece for the Nuggets, who also dropped their 16th straight road game.
