Grades: Nuggets Stumble in Third Quarter, Fall to Jazz at Home

Nikola Jokić – A+

Jokić was phenomenal against double-teams, triple-teams, and a lot of contact in the paint. As a playmaker, he picked Utah apart and sped up the pace to beat the help as a scorer. Without Rudy Gobert and Hassan Whiteside, the Jazz couldn’t keep Jokić off the glass either. He finished with 26 points, 21 rebounds, and 11 assists.

It wasn’t enough, though, as Will Barton got off to a slow start, Austin Rivers gave Denver virtually nothing, and Facundo Campazzo couldn’t score. Jokić was mired in a mass of bodies and outstretched arms surrounded by non-factors. Somehow, someway, he put his stamp on the game and kept Denver in contention up until the final seconds. In the end, Denver wasted an MVP performance on both ends. Jokić was phenomenal on defense, too—surviving switches, protecting the rim, busting his ass in transition—but no one else met the challenge.

Aaron Gordon – C

Gordon shot well and looked smooth as a scorer, providing Jokić with some welcomed reinforcement on one end. On the other end, it was a disaster. AG got Bojan’d by Bogdanović, who finished with a game-high 36 points on 20 shots. It wasn’t all Gordon. The infamous Nuggets killer gave everyone a bucket — especially in the third quarter. But it was AG’s job to put out the flames, and all he did was fan them.

Will Barton – C-

Barton got off to a slow start. He came up short on open jumpers, took poorly timed transition threes leading to fastbreaks on the other end, and didn’t make up for it with a focused effort on defense. He found his groove late as a scorer, knocking down five of his seven shots in the fourth quarter when he recorded 13 points and three assists. But it was too little too late.

Austin Rivers – D+

Rivers had some impressive moments defensively and deserves credit for his work covering Donovan Mitchell. The effort in-between and the ineffectiveness on offense tanked his contributions. He bricked open jumpers, devoured entire possessions with hopeless dribbling, and didn’t work hard enough outside of his primary assignment.

Facundo Campazzo – C-

Campazzo played an overzealous game on defense, taking big risks that came back to bite the Nuggets. The spacing continues to be a nightmare as well, which doesn’t fall squarely on Facu’s shoulders, but he’s a significant factor in that dynamic.

Davon Reed – C

Reed ripped the ball free from Donovan Mitchell with a head full of steam, his highlight on an underwhelming night. He also forced a bizarre shot just inside the arc alongside Jokić with plenty of time left on the clock. Reed can’t take those shots unless he’s wide-open. Rudy Gay was covering Jokić.

Monte Morris – A-

Morris returned to action with a 20-point performance on 7 of 13 shooting. He shot the lights out from deep and represented some of the only hope outside of Jokić. He looked confident and smooth, with the notable exception of his final shot — a forced three, down four, with 15 seconds remaining. The choice left Jokić standing with his hands in the air, a look of confusion fixed on his face.

Bones Hyland – C-

The rookie is free-falling after a near-perfect start to his career. The shot is so far off the mark right now, and the rest of the skill set looks barren. Of course, Hyland’s got plenty more to offer, and I’ll be one of the first to celebrate if the production comes back around.

JaMychal Green – C+

Green closed the first-quarter strong. It went downhill from there, and he only logged 15:23 in the loss.

Bol Bol – Essentially DNP

For those curious about the Popeye-Bol friendship and where it leaves Bol — he was back on the bench against a Utah team that went small often.