Grades: Nikola Jokić Stifled in Game One Loss

Nikola Jokić – B-

The Golden State Warriors debuted their Death Lineup 3.0 against the Denver Nuggets, and the group excelled in a short stint. With the back-to-back MVP at center, Golden State should feel reluctant to go small against Denver, but they felt confident in Draymond Green’s ability to defend Nikola Jokić, and they were right to feel that way in game one. Jokić did some damage against Kevon Looney one-on-one but didn’t enjoy the same success against Green or double-teams. He struggled from the field, and the physical defense—which included blatant fouling—affected his confidence. Defensively, he’s in a nightmare scenario. He tried not to work all the way out to the screen, but that adjustment might be necessary against the Warriors. He’ll have to take on an even more significant workload on the other end of the floor while he struggles to solve Green. And if he can’t do the latter, there’s not much else to discuss.

Aaron Gordon – F

Aaron Gordon turned in the performance we hoped not to see in these playoffs, and he did it in game one. Gordon settled for the jumper, got sped up beyond his natural rhythm, fell into the traps of ego ball, and didn’t make his presence felt at all on defense. We spent a lot of time talking about AG and Jordan Poole as X-Factors heading into this series. Through one, Poole gets an A+, and Gordon has an F.

Will Barton – C-

Barton’s stat line doesn’t look bad, but he did most of that damage after the game was well out of hand in the final quarter. While the result still hung in the balance, he recorded several silly turnovers and let go of the rope defensively after a strong opening stint for the starters. His off-ball defense has to improve in Game 2, and Denver needs him to knock down some of those fourth-quarter shots before it’s too late. Barton was arguably Denver’s second-best player, and the best grade I can manage is a C-. It was that kind of a night in San Francisco.

Monte Morris – C-

Morris was a big part of that successful first quarter, scoring five points, dishing out two assists, and recording two of his four steals on the night. But ultimately, he missed four of his five 3s, couldn’t get to the rim, and faded into the background.

Jeff Green – C-

Green knocked down a couple of threes and grabbed four rebounds, which is about as much as we can ask from him in that department. But he was quiet otherwise, and there’s a chance we see his minutes decrease further as this series goes on, especially if  Golden State is ready to roll their death lineup out.

Austin Rivers – D+

Rivers did a decent job on Steph Curry, who struggled in his return, but it’s hard to know how much we chalk that up to Rivers’ effort or Curry working the rust off. When Rivers drew other assignments, namely Jordan Poole, he got cooked like everyone else. He also shot 0 of 3 from deep.

Bones Hyland – D+

As it turned out, the rookie looked like a rookie in his first-ever playoff appearance. He scored six of his 10 points with the game virtually decided already, and like Barton, he was much worse when it mattered. Hyland shot 2 of 7 from deep with some bad misses, including an airball. He looked generally overwhelmed. I’m excited to see what he’s able to embrace in game two, though. Hyland doesn’t spook easily.

DeMarcus Cousins – Ejected

We all made the same joke on the podcast. You all tweeted some form of it too. Will Cousins get ejected in the playoffs? Yes. The answer is yes, one game into the first round.

I do believe that referees single Cousins out. I do think he’s fighting against a nasty reputation. But I also think he helped build that rep, and more self-awareness is needed. He can’t keep arguing in a playoff game. Denver needs him on the floor and playing well right now.