The Memphis Grizzlies lost to the Utah Jazz 124-115 on Wednesday, suffering their fourth straight loss since the season restarted.

The Grizzlies saw four of their players reach 20+ points. First-year rookie guard Ja Morant had 20 points, six rebounds and nine assists. However, when the Jazz sank 18 shots from downtown at a 3-point rate of 40 percent and made 30 free throws, the Grizzlies were totally outperformed.

After four losses in a row, the Grizzlies though still kept their No. 8 position in the Western Conference, their lead over the No. 9 Portland Trail Blazers was cut down to one game. The No. 10 San Antonio Spurs, No. 11 New Orleans Pelicans, No. 12 Phoenix Suns and the No. 13 Sacramento Kings are only 2.0, 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 games away, respectively.

The future schedule of the team only makes Memphis feel even more hopeless. They will play against the following four teams: Oklahoma City Thunder, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks. The last three are the top three teams in the Eastern Conference and OKC just beat West No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers 105-86 on Wednesday.

If there is still room for the Grizzlies' players to improve their game, the impact of injury is already out of their control. 20-year-old Jaren Jackson Jr., who averaged 17.4 points and 2.5 triples at a 3-point rate of 39.4 percent, was ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee.

Both Morant and his fans are looking forward to see his performance in the playoffs but he cannot carry the team there all by himself.

Will Michael Porter Jr. become Denver's secret weapon in the playoffs?

The Denver Nuggets claimed their second win in a row as they defeated the Spurs 132-126 on Wednesday. Nikola Jokic dropped 25 points, four rebounds and 11 assists but what really delight Nuggets fans was the performance of 22-year-old Michael Porter Jr. who put down court-high 35 points and 15 rebounds.

This was the second straight time for Porter to reach 30+points after a 37-point game against the Thunder on Monday. In Wednesday's game, Porter buried three 3-pointers in the first quarter and two in the last one. In the last three minutes, he scored six valuable points for the Nuggets via free throws and penetration, helping his team seal the win.

The Nuggets are likely to finish the second season in a row ranking top three in the west. Coach Malone has been doing well building a squad around Jokic, who is probably the best big-man passer in NBA history. Nonetheless, one thing has been bothering the team for a long time and it was lack of play-making ability in forward position. Torrey Craig works hard but he is not very talented; Jerami Grant has remarkable athleticism but he is more like a blue-collar finisher.

Porter can be a game-changer for Denver. His 2.08-meter height, 2.13-meter-long wingspan, 3-point shooting and the ability of charging against the paint by dribbling the ball himself. When he grows to be able to take over the game when Denver need him to, they won't have to rely on Jokic to do everything.

Celtics shoot down 149 points to beat Nets

The Boston Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets 149-115 on Wednesday to solidify their No. 3 ranking in the East. All of the 13 players sent by coach Brad Stevens to the court managed to drop points in this big win. The whole team together buried 20 shots from downtown and made 29 free throws.

A total of 149 points became Boston's highest score this season, the highest score in 27 years and the fifth highest in franchise history. Making 20 triples also marked a new season record for the team.

Other games on Wednesday:

Philadelphia 76ers 107-98 Washington Wizards

Oklahoma City Thunder 105-86 Los Angeles Lakers

Toronto Raptors 109-99 Orlando Magic