Memphis, Tenn. – Mike Miller was still calling for the ball with 30 seconds left and the Memphis Grizzlies comfortably ahead.
With the ensuing drive and foul shot, the Memphis guard matched a franchise-record with 41 points to lead the Grizzlies to a 116-102 win over the Nuggets on Friday night.
“I think I called for it from the time I checked in until the time I left,” Miller said, adding he was unaware of the Grizzlies’ record he now shares with Bryant Reeves. “When you get it going like that, you just don’t even know what you’re doing half the time.”
Miller, who set a franchise record for points from a reserve, connected on 12 of his first 15 shots and 15-of-24 for the game as the Grizzlies built the lead to 22 in the third quarter.
It was the first time a reserve has scored 40 points in the NBA since last April when Darius Miles of the Portland Trail Blazers had 47 off the bench in a loss to the Nuggets, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
“He was a motor-boating son of a gun,” Memphis forward Shane Battier said of Miller. “He was really going, and it was fun for all of us to watch.”
The Grizzlies shot 56 percent to snap a six-game losing streak against Denver, and the 116 points were a season-high for Memphis.
Nuggets coach George Karl said the futility of the losing streak probably had something to do with Memphis’ play.
“Psychological gods are out there,” Karl said, “and they would probably say Memphis would show up tonight. They’re proud. They’re professional competitors, and they showed it.”
Carmelo Anthony led Denver with 33 points, but the Nuggets, who shot 55 percent, never got the deficit below double digits after the early stages of the second half.
