Grades: Will Barton Blocks Malik Beasley, Denver Nuggets Steal Win in Minnesota

Will Barton did not play a good game in Minnesota Saturday night. Few Nuggets did, actually, and even Nikola Jokić got off to a slow start on the second night of a back-to-back. The new and improved Timberwolves boasted strength, hops, and a fearless mindset on the glass. Denver trailed for a significant portion of the game and almost forfeited their slim lead in the final seconds of regulation, but Barton and Jokić never quit. Barton met Beasley at the rim, then roared at the crowd and his former teammate as Jokić made a secondary contest to steal the win.

To the grades:

Nikola Jokić – B+

Karl-Anthony Towns might have thought he had him. After the opening quarter of play, he had reason to believe that the night belonged to him this time around. The reigning MVP looked a little timid and failed to score in his first stint. The Joker got the last laugh, though, as he so often does. He turned it around and logged 26 points on 10 of 23 shooting, grabbed 19 rebounds (5 OREB), tacked on 7 assists, and blocked 3 shots as well.

That’s an enormous stat-line, and if you missed the game, you might be wondering how on earth he missed the honor roll. The reality is Jokić is among the very best players alive, if not the best himself. He’s graded on a curve, and he played poorly in that first quarter. He also logged 7 turnovers and didn’t shoot very well. None of this stopped him from being the best player on the floor, of course.

Aaron Gordon – B

Gordon played excellent defense again. He also provided the physical response required from Denver. The Wolves are suddenly big, strong, and explosive. Gordon is up for a game of that nature and better suited for it than most on the roster. He answered the call on defense, and while he didn’t shoot particularly well, he provided a vertical threat in transition.

Michael Porter Jr. – C-

Porter’s ‘Bizzaro’ campaign continues. He looked hopeless as a scorer but much improved in other areas. MPJ dominated the glass with 12 rebounds, stayed focused on defense, and even recorded three assists. He sees the floor better now — still well behind the curve, admittedly, but improved all the same. He’s making passes we frankly haven’t expected from him.

Now for the harsher critique: his confidence is in pieces. The offense relies so heavily on the jumper, and it is so far off the mark that it’d be hard to believe if we weren’t all witnesses. He needs a get-right game in the worst way.

Will Barton – C-

By his admission, Barton didn’t play well on either end in Minnesota. It was easily his worst outing of the new season and might’ve cost Denver the game. But the beauty of basketball, as Barton described to the media, is that one will almost always get another chance if they stay locked in. He got his chance, and he took it by blocking Malik Beasley to seal it for Denver. As Beasley crumpled to the ground, Barton secured a rebound, fired the ball up into the air, and ensured his former teammate knew what happened.

The BL🚫CK that sealed the W!!!

😤 @WillTheThrillB5 pic.twitter.com/RydmP81zgS

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) October 31, 2021

“You’ve just got to let them know about it.”

Monte Morris – B+

Morris played well. He leveraged Jokić’s scoring threat into points of his own and torched D’Angelo Russell in the pick-and-roll. Morris finished with 16 points on 7 of 14 from the field, added 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal. Things have looked considerably better for Denver since he’s found his footing. 

Bones Hyland – B

Bones is fearless. He got seven shots up in just under 18 minutes off the bench — the most on the second unit — including a crucial 3 from the left corner with 5:23 remaining. That shot cut the lead to just two points. On a night when the entire bench struggled, Bones provided the spark so many hoped he could. In addition to his 8 points, Bones recorded 3 assists, 2 of which came on the fastbreak, where he looked comfortable.

After the game, Malone lauded the rookie’s patience and readiness for the opportunity. Once again, he conceded he needs to find minutes for Bones. We’ll see if this performance was the breakthrough.