DNVR Player Grades: Nuggets crash and burn in Houston

Make it eight in a row.

The Nuggets fell to the Rockets 121-105 Wednesday, their eighth-consecutive loss to James Harden and Co. in Houston.

The last time Denver beat the Rockets on the road?

Oct. 28. 2015.

Nikola Jokic came off the bench that night and logged four minutes. He scored one basket. It was also the first game of his career.

A lot has changed for Jokic and the Nuggets since their last win in Houston, except for their ability to get a road win over the Rockets. Down three starters and without Michael Porter Jr., who was ruled out shortly before the opening tip with back tightness, and Mason Plumlee, who will be out at least a few weeks with a foot injury, it was difficult to imagine the Nuggets bucking the trend on this occasion.

The Nuggets hung with the Rockets in the first quarter and trailed by just seven points over the first 12 minutes of action. Houston gained more separation in the second after Denver only mustered 15 total points in the subsequent quarter. The Nuggets held firm in the third and were only outscored by four points before the Rockets blew the game open in the fourth. Houston played with around a 20-point lead for most of the final period.

Let’s hit the grades.

The Honor Roll

Jerami Grant – A

Grant makes ‘The Honor Roll’ because of a couple different factors. He put up an impressive stat line — 17 points, seven rebounds, three steals, and two blocks in 35 minutes — and filled a number of roles for the Nuggets Wednesday. He guarded everyone from Harden to Clint Capela, something he’ll need to do with Denver down three starters. On offense he’s showing more chemistry with Jokic as of late too, an important storyline to watch while the two get more playing time together with Paul Millsap and Plumlee sidelined. Grant’s also making more of an effort to be more active on the glass. He’s recorded seven rebounds in each of his last two outings, both of which are his second-highest rebounding totals on the season.

Nikola Jokic – A-

Jokic registered his eighth triple-double of the season and the 36th of his his career in Houston with a 19-point, 12-rebound, 10-assist effort. He has the 10th most triple-doubles in NBA history and is seven triple-doubles behind Nuggets great Fat Lever for ninth place on the all-time leaderboard. But Jokic was a little sloppy in this one, tallying six turnovers although a few of those weren’t his fault. He and Torrey Craig still aren’t on the same page all the time. Jokic was also only 8 of 19 (42.1%) from the field.

The Class

Torrey Craig – B

Craig was aggressive in this one, scoring a season-high 14 points to go with seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks. But he wasn’t effective enough on Harden (27 points), who got to the line 15 times, or Russell Westbrook (28 points). Still, it was encouraging to see Craig get a 3 to drop and contribute the way he did on the offensive end with Denver shorthanded.

Monte Morris – B

Morris had an efficient shooting night (4-7 from the field, 2-4 from three-point range) and finished with 11 points, three assists, and three steals. I’m still very interested to see what Morris and the starters look like alongside more firepower in the Nuggets’ starting lineup. That’s where Denver’s backup point guard can really thrive.

PJ Dozier – B

Wednesday was a tale of two Doziers. He shot just 1 of 5 from the field for two points in the first half but scored 13 points on 6 of 7 shooting in the second half. A lot of those second-half points came in garbage time when Dozier got to his spots, knocked in a 3 and got a few buckets at the rim. One thing I’m noticing about Dozier: he has great timing on his weakside cuts, an important skill to have down in the Nuggets’ offense.

Malik Beasley – C+

As always, Beasley was aggressive in his 31 minutes, shooting 4 of 10 from the field (1 of 5 from three-point range) and had 12 points to show for his efforts but didn’t contribute much elsewhere. Maybe it’s unfair to ask of the fourth-year guard, but you felt like one of the few avenues the Nuggets had to getting a win over the Rockets was a big night from Beasley.

Principal’s Office

Will Barton – D

Barton has been an iron-man for the Nuggets lately while they’ve has been down three starters and you get the feeling he could use a night off, something he unfortunately won’t get with Denver’s current injury situation. Barton played 38 minutes but shot just 3 of 14 from the field.