Grades: Denver Nuggets Reach New Low in Latest Meltdown

Nikola Jokić – A-

Jokić turned it over too many times and only got 14 shots up. Neither rests solely on his shoulders, as poor spacing helped lead to the former, and worse entry passing led to the latter. Denver spent the second half figuring out how to get their reigning MVP the ball, which was futile. Malone closed with three guards around Jokić, playing right into the Clippers’ hands. The Nuggets tightened up, and the offense dried out. In the end, Jokić was great but not dominant as his teammates couldn’t put him in advantageous situations.

Jokić grabbed a rebound and took the ball up the floor with time winding down in regulation. The Nuggets trailed by two, and Michael Malone never called a timeout. Jokić made up his mind, opting to end the night one way or another with a hoisted three. It fell short.

Aaron Gordon – A

Gordon bounced back with arguably his best game in Denver, at least on the offensive end. He finished with 3o points on 11 of 16 shooting, opting to drive into the paint rather than settling for jumpers and cutting off-ball as Jokić navigated near-unprecedented levels of attention. AG’s approach was excellent, and he nearly saved the day with a high degree of difficulty putback following Jokić’s heave. It went in and out.

Monte Morris – C-

Morris was the only guard on the roster to hit a shot, but he still shot poorly from deep. He missed two wide-open 3s in the final quarter that could have changed the result. Morris also struggled on defense. The Clippers’ guards abused Denver after halftime.

JaMychal Green – C

Green only played 17:35 despite starting and despite the Nuggets crushing in the first half. He did not score.

Jeff Green – C-

Green was the bench unit’s only hope, especially as they navigated a zone without a zone-busting shooter on the floor. Green ended up forcing a handful of bad shots in lieu of better options and shot 5 of 16 on the night.

Facundo Campazzo – F

Campazzo missed all six of his field-goal attempts and didn’t even register on LA’s radar. Despite this, he played the final 17 minutes and closed the game alongside Monte Morris and Austin Rivers. Perhaps Campazzo played to surround Jokić with someone who can make an entry pass, but it had a detrimental effect in the end as he and Rivers failed to space the floor. The Clippers collapsed hard on Jokić, and Denver’s guards all but panicked around him.

Davon Reed – D

Reed played more than Bones Hyland, who rode the bench in the second half for the second straight game. Reed made an impact on the boards, but that’s about it.

Bones Hyland – F

The rookie can’t buy a bucket right now, and that might be tenable if he could play defense or contribute in other ways. At the moment, he isn’t, and the Nuggets desperately need him to turn it around. He should have been the zone buster in the second half, but he was on the bench.

Zeke Nnaji – C

Nnaji wasn’t terrible, but he blended into the background once again. One of the top ways he could help the second unit right now is beefing up his presence down low and proving to be a formidable rebounder at the NBA level. We’re still waiting for that development. He grabbed just one in 11:22 on the court.

James Ennis III – D

Desperate for something different, Malone turned to the new Nugget Ennis III in the second half. He was immediately blown by on the perimeter. He only logged 4:20 on the floor.

Michael Malone – F

Malone threw a poor lineup against the zone, then rode an inexplicable closing lineup and never called timeout in the most crucial possession. After the game, he took responsibility for the loss but then backtracked as the presser went on. It was not his best night on the sideline or at the podium.