The Nuggets have an important advantage over the Grizzlies for Friday’s clash

The Denver Nuggets have their most important game to-date on Friday night when the Memphis Grizzlies come to town. A win would keep Denver in the top-four in the Western Conference and almost certainly push Memphis to the Play-In Tournament, while a loss would put Denver back in a tie with three other teams in one of the craziest playoff chases in NBA history.

The Nuggets and Grizzlies haven’t played since November when the split a back-to-back in Grind City, and the two sides look very different since those matchups. Both sides will have new head coaches as Taylor Jenkins and Michael Malone were both fired in stunning late-season coaching changes recently, both Ja Morant and Nikola Jokic will be active for the game (they missed both games in November), and Zach Edey has turned into a quality player for Memphis.

With all the differences making it difficult for Denver to gameplan for their Western Conference foe, the team has one of the most valuable advantages in all of sports.

Rest.

The Nuggets last played on Wednesday night against the Sacramento Kings, which gave them a full day on Thursday to rest and mentally prepare for the war that’s going to take place at Ball Arena on Friday night. For the Grizzlies, they are coming off a crushing 141-125 loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves, a fast-paced battle in which both sides were racing up and down the floor all night.

Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported that the Grizzlies went straight from the arena to the airport to fly to Denver for the back-to-back, with the goal being for the team to arrive at the hotel in the Mile High City around 4 a.m. local time. The Grizzlies will not be having a shoot around Friday as they try to rest as much as possible leading into the game.

This doesn’t mean Friday’s game will be a cakewalk for the Nuggets by any means. The Grizzlies are 10-4 on the second night of back-to-backs this season (losses to GSW 2x, LAC and SAS) and have shown time and time again that playing on minimal amounts of rest doesn’t bother them.

For Denver, the team has a 30-19 record in games this season in which they’ve had one day of rest leading up to the game. This late in the season, that one day is more valuable than any other day of rest they’ve had all season.

Brandon Clarke and Jaylen Wells, two key pieces in the Grizzlies’ rotation, will be out for Friday’s game. Jamal Murray is doubtful for the Nuggets.

Tip-off from Ball Arena is set for 7 p.m. as these two teams clash in one of the most pivotal games of the season.