Zach Randolph had 32 points and an NBA season-best 24 rebounds to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 102-96 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.
In the last three weeks, Memphis has victories over the Dallas Mavericks, Cleveland Cavaliers and now the Nuggets, all of whom sit atop their respective divisions.
The Grizzlies only losses in the past 10 days have been to the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks. The Celtics have the second-best record in the NBA while the Hawks have the fourth best record.
“This builds our confidence up a lot,” Randolph said. “We’ve got young guys, and when we win games like this, this is believing in us [as a] team that we can beat anybody.”
Randolph’s 24 rebounds included nine on the offensive end. Dwight Howard of Orlando previously held the high-rebound mark in the league this season with 23 against Indiana on December 14.
Hasheem Thabeet Slams on Denver's Chris Andersen
Memphis built a 61-43 halftime lead on the strength of 59.6% shooting and dominating the boards. The Grizzlies finished with a 56-38 advantage on the boards and a 64-44 margin in the paint.
Rudy Gay added 19 points for Memphis, which snapped an eight-game losing streak to Denver. Marc Gasol had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and O.J. Mayo and Mike Conley scored 11 apiece.
Anthony led the Nuggets with 41 points and Nene finished with 19. Kenyon Martin tossed in 12 points while Chris Andersen came off the bench to score 6 points and had a season-high 14 rebounds.
Memphis has won 11 of its last 18 games after starting the season 1-8. The stretch, and the teams the Grizzlies have beaten, continues to reflect a change in a team that in recent years has been at the bottom of the standings.
