Grades: Denver Nuggets Run Out of Gas in Dallas

Nikola Jokić – A

Jokić was the best player on the floor in Dallas but couldn’t overcome a late deficit after the Mavericks pulled away with Jokić on the bench. He scored 10 points in the fourth quarter but missed his 3s and left two points at the charity stripe. Without Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., and Will Barton, the reinforcements ran out of gas in the second half on the second night of a back-to-back. The reigning MVP put forth a valiant effort but fell short without enough weapons surrounding him.

Jokić danced, cut, and bullied his way to the rim en route to a 35 point performance. He shot 15 of 26 from the floor. He also dominated the glass, pulling down 16 rebounds — five more than the next highest mark (11 from Kristaps Porzingis.)

Aaron Gordon – B

Gordon did an excellent job guarding Luka Doncic in the first half, but Dallas eventually forced different matchups via picks and pushing the pace in transition. Offensively, Gordon was fine, scoring 14 points on 12 shots. They needed him to be a touch more aggressive as an interior scorer, though, and he did settle for some unfortunate jumpers despite an efficient night.

Jeff Green – D

Green played a horrendous game defensively. He may have looked less like a newborn Giraffe than Michael Porter Jr., but he was every bit the sieve that MPJ is on his worst nights. The man was checking his email and making calls to his insurance company out there.

Austin Rivers – B-

Rivers started in place of the injured Will Barton again, and this time Rivers played well. He scored 12 points on only seven shots and looked like a willing catch-and-shooter for once. He did fail to get Jokić the ball during a pivotal possession in the fourth quarter, a standout memory marring an otherwise solid performance. Nonetheless, Rivers filled in nicely.

After the game, a reporter asked Rivers about staying in touch with MPJ. Rivers said the two talk almost every day, and while he doesn’t know what the injury is, he let slip that Porter’s been “playing hurt” all season. That’s the first we’ve heard of the injury predating his smoked layup against Houston.

Monte Morris – A

Morris played terrific basketball for the second night in a row. He scored 17 points on 8 of 13 shooting and recorded eight assists to just two turnovers. Mr. Nugget was deep in his bag, manipulating Jokić’s gravity as a roller into points of his own. He looked confident in his signature mid-range pull-up all night long.

PJ Dozier – C-

Dozier did not play well off the bench. Even still, he might’ve been a better option to close the game than Jeff Green. Dozier looked interested in playing defense, at least.

JaMychal Green – C-

Green rebounded well off the bench but only managed to score 2 points, and they came from the free-throw line. His loudest contribution was a hard foul committed in the fourth.

Nuggets vs. Mavericks game got pretty heated after this foul by Green 😳 pic.twitter.com/2sbnPa7QZz

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 16, 2021

Bones Hyland – C-

Hyland tweaked his ankle in the first half and then tweaked it again in the fourth. The injury interfered with his rhythm and limited his playing time. There’s no word yet on diagnosis or timeable. Reporters on the ground in Dallas tweeted that Bones was available to finish the game despite dealing with the ankle.

Bol Bol – B

The best player off the bench was, wait for it, Bol Bol. With Zeke Nnaji and MPJ unavailable, Bol was the next (and last) big up. He played with great energy and scored seven points on just five shots in roughly 11 minutes of playing time.

Does this mean Bol inched closer to cracking the rotation? No. It does not.

Facundo Campazzo – D

I take no joy in reporting that Facu played again, but this time played horribly. He logged the least time off the bench.