RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) _ Ron Mercer scored 24 points to lead the Denver Nuggets to their first preseason win, a 106-94 victory over the Vancouver Grizzlies on Sunday.

Raef LaFrentz added 17 points and nine rebounds, and rookie James Posey scored 19 as the Nuggets snapped a three-game losing streak. Mercer, acquired in a six-player deal from Boston in August, has led the Nuggets in scoring in each of their four games.

Bryant Reeves scored 16 points before leaving the game early in the fourth quarter with a bruised bone in his left knee after tumbling to the floor.

Shareef Abdur-Rahim scored 19 points as the Grizzlies lost their third straight and their preseason home-opener.

The Nuggets had a 55-48 halftime lead and sealed it in the third quarter, opening up an 84-65 advantage on George McCloud's 3-pointer with a minute left in the quarter.

The game was marred by fouls, including a double-technical on Nuggets Nick Van Exel in the third quarter for arguing an out-of-bounds possession call. In all, the teams were issued a combined 66 fouls.

Last season, the Grizzlies and their opponent averaged a combined 45 fouls per game.

With speculation that the Grizzlies may move following last month's sale to Missouri billionaire Bill Laurie, this was the Vancouver fans first opportunity to see the team in action.

Among the signs held up at the game included: ``Stay Grizzlies Stay;'' and ``Wal-Mart sucks,'' referring to the fact that Laurie's wife Nancy Laurie is an heir to the Wal-Mart fortune.

As well, Arthur Griffiths, the Grizzlies' first owner, sat courtside, at one point holding up a ``We love our Grizzlies'' T-shirt.

The Nuggets were without forward Antonio McDyess, who's listed as day-to-day after spraining his ankle in his preseason debut against Chicago on Friday night. Chauncey Billups was also out with a hamstring injury.