Grades: Denver Nuggets keep streak alive with comeback against Orlando Magic

So much had changed when the Denver Nuggets suited up for a basketball game Sunday night. Fans were back in the building — a limited capacity of season ticket holders was spattered across the upper levels to greet the new-look Nuggets in what is now called Ball Arena. Gary Harris was there. RJ Hampton too. Both suited up for the opposition this time as everyone in the arena tried to adapt to the new normal. So much had changed, yet some things never do.

Orlando carried only eight active players into a scheduled blowout loss. It was the second half of the most brutal back-to-back in basketball for the Magic. And yet, almost predictably, they led for most of the night. The Denver Nuggets came out flat again.

Young Hampton flew up and down the court, hooting and hollering as his new squad — something beyond underdogs — took control of the first half. The Magic carried an 18-point lead into the locker room.

The lack of substitutions and overwhelming talent discrepancy caught up to the Magic in the second half, though. The starters turned it on, JaVale McGee helped change momentum in his re-debut, and former Magic Aaron Gordon slammed the door shut with some hellacious defense. The Nuggets secured a win in the end by a final score of 119-109 — their 14th win in 17 tries.

Let’s go to the grades:

Nikola Jokić – A-

It happened again. As Jokić approached yet another full half of basketball without taking a trip to the free-throw line, his frustration began to boil over. He yelled, shrugged, and contorted his face to match his palpable disbelief. He clapped sarcastically when the referees suddenly rediscovered their whistles too. Nonetheless, the real opponent was the Orlando Magic. Wendell Carter Jr. did a solid job on him defensively, and the Magic were able to keep his scoring in check as they opened up a big lead. But The Joker can hurt you in so many ways. He recorded 16 assists on the night — which ties him with Wilt Chamberlain for the sixth most assists in a single game from an NBA center. Of course, that’s not even Jokić’s season-high.

This game marked the 81st time in his career that Jokić surpassed the 10 assist mark. He passed Wilt for the most such games from an NBA center all-time. Since we’re doing this, here’s the complete list of the best single-game assist marks from centers, courtesy of Matt Moore and Stathead.

Jokic with 16 asssists.

Here are the top 10 games with most assists by a center by @Stathead.

So he now has 4 of the top 10 assists performances by a center. It’s just him and Wilt. pic.twitter.com/urVa5Bp0Oc

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) April 5, 2021

Jamal Murray – B+

That wasn’t the cleanest performance from Murray. He shot just 39% from the field and only scored 4 points in the first half. But he was never going out like that in front of the home crowd. Murray turned up his trash talk and turned on his game. He and Hampton chirped back and forth all night, but Murray had the last laugh in the end. He led all scorers with 18 second-half points.

Michael Porter Jr. – A-

Did someone order another double-double? Porter attacked the glass as if his life depended on it Sunday night, grabbing 12 total rebounds, including seven on the offensive end. Not every rebound is equal, and sometimes his zeal makes life harder for the dominant rebounder Jokić. But Denver challenged Porter to make an impact in this arena, and he’s rising to the challenge. Oh, and by the way — 20 points on 8/14 from the field. Light work.

Aaron Gordon – A

Gordon scored the first 12 points for Denver as he and Hampton opened the game with a poetic scoring battle. He settled in from there and put together an efficient night. He’s figured out Jokić so quickly on offense. Looking a little less like a wide explosive out and a little more like a dependable tight end than as advertised, he’s effective nonetheless as he runs to the rim or stalks out a window of opportunity from the dunker spot. Of course, that chemistry is just the icing on the cake. Denver brought Gordon in to play defense, and that he did.

Great sequence from Aaron Gordon and this is why Denver got him. Good closeout, keeps the drive and front and gets a block. Pushes in transition, hits Jokic and watch the cut as soon as he throws it. Another nice pass from Jokic. pic.twitter.com/GbP6f7YoFL

— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) April 5, 2021

All told, Gordon scored 23 points on 10/13 shooting, grabbed 7 rebounds and blocked 2 shots. He was terrific.

Will Barton III – B-

Barton recorded three turnovers and still can’t pry the lid off the rim when laying it in. That said, he finished with 15, 8, and 4, on only 11 shots — tied for the fewest among the starters. That’s a good game from your 4th/5th option.

Monte Morris – C+

Morris is back and not a day too soon. It should take a little time for him to find his stride again and help rescue this bench unit, but it was a sight for sore eyes to see him check in and knock down half his shots Sunday night. He finished with 10 points on 4/8 shooting.

Facundo Campazzo – C-

He still can’t score, and that’s still an issue. However, it’s worth noting how much better he and the bench looked in the second half. What changed? Well, I’m glad you asked.

JaVale McGee – C+

McGee checked in for his re-debut with the Denver Nuggets in the second half and turned in a loud five minutes and change. There’s still a tiny comedic element to watching him play, but he helped change the second unit’s energy. It was a good adjustment by Malone.

JaMychal Green – B-

Green played well in his roughly 12 minutes off the bench. He scored five points, grabbed five rebounds, and held his own on defense. Whatever and whenever the optimal second unit reveals itself to be, Green will be a part of it.

PJ Dozier – C-

Dozier continues to look rough alongside Campazzo. It’s also worth noting that Dozier’s minutes dropped in the first night with Morris back in the rotation.

Paul Millsap – D-

Yanking Millsap, after almost six disastrous minutes, comprises the adjustment mentioned above from Malone. Millsap missed all four of his attempts from the field and posted straight zeros across the box score.

Game Notes: The Nuggets produced tribute videos to both Gary Harris and RJ Hampton in their return to Denver. Harris remained inactive.