DNVR Player Grades: Jamal Murray drags Denver Nuggets out of grave

There will be no mercy-kill. If the Utah Jazz is to win this series, they’ll have to fight for it after Jamal Murray, and the Denver Nuggets clawed their way out of a self-dug grave Tuesday night. A late adjustment to both the lineup and the pick-and-roll defense from Head Coach Michael Malone set the stage for a Tier 1 close job by the Nuggets’ alpha. The Nuggets are still breathing after a 117-107 win in Game 5.

Denver started Murray/Monte Morris/Jerami Grant/Paul Millsap/Nikola Jokić for a second straight game. It was less successful this time around, as the Jazz jumped out to a 16-6 lead. Denver looked ready to fold, but their franchise player dug deep. Jokić exploded for 21 first-quarter points on 8/8 shooting and 5/5 from deep. The three-point shooting ultimately influenced the approach of Rudy Gobert, which had important implications later in the game. For the time being, it merely kept their playoff hopes alive. He finished the quarter with the type of buzzer-beater that spreads hope despite all the evidence suggesting the futility of such an emotion.

Sideline view of Jokic's first quarter buzzer beater pic.twitter.com/BddRBJyGxU

— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) August 25, 2020

The familiar feeling of dread crept back up when the second-unit checked in. Denver failed to exploit the negative defenders Utah deployed, and rather than at least look to Michael Porter Jr. pull-ups as a bailout option; they settled for Mason Plumlee post-ups. If you can believe it, that approach wasn’t successful.

The Nuggets trailed by nine at the half. Utah would rule much of the third quarter, but late in the period, Nuggets fans saw something they had prepared to go without seeing for a long time — defense.

As the defense thawed out, Murray heated up, dropping 17 in the frame — 13 of those points coming in the final 6 minutes of the quarter. Denver held Utah to just 23 points in the third, a small miracle in this series, and not even the lowest frame of the night for the Jazz.

Malone turned to a lineup we’ve fawned over and clamored for at DNVR Nuggets. He looked to the longbois to close out the game. Remarkably, we saw PJ Dozier alongside Murray, Jokić, Grant, and Porter Jr., while Millsap watched from the bench. It worked.

Dozier was spectacular on the defensive end, and more to the point, his and the entire unit’s length added up to a presence not seen all series long. Denver met Utah’s high pick-and-roll with a high hedge, stepping out just long enough to allow the trailing defender to fight through the screen. The extra inches bought them just enough time to slow the action finally.

As the longbois burrowed into a defensive stand, Murray carried them on the other end. The early three-pointers from Jokić drew Gobert out to the perimeter, and Murray muscled his way to the rim with ease. As the clock ticked and Utah’s chance at a 5-game upset began to slip away, the Jazz tightened up for the first time all series. The Nuggets pushed their lead to double-digits.

Denver held Utah to 21 points in the final quarter, instilling doubt and evoking hope in all the right places. There’s still a mountain to climb, and Utah Head Coach Quinn Snyder will indeed adjust, but the Nuggets might have stumbled into the formula for saving their season.

Let’s go the grades:

Honor Roll

Jamal Murray – A+

Jamal Murray was the best player on the floor Tuesday night, going for 42 points on 65% shooting just one game after his 50-piece. Over his last two games, he’s accumulated 92 points, 19 rebounds, and 15 assists with 0 turnovers on 61-57-100 splits. This makes him the only player in NBA playoff history to turn in consecutive 40 point games with 0 turnovers. There’s nothing he can’t do right now, and there’s no moment that’s too big for him. As a supernova is born across the Rockies in Donovan Mitchell, Murray is also leaping into stardom.

We’ve seen Murray get hot before, but we’ve never seen him string consecutive performances together like this. He’s in full control of his body, deep inside his bag, and willing to rise to any occasion. Murray was 4-8 from deep in Game 5, stretching the defense out and forcing them to think twice about going under any screens. He needs to take more of these shots — we know it, the coaches know it, and he knows it too. We’re finally seeing the transformation.

Jokić’s first-quarter barrage pulled Gobert out towards the perimeter by the end of the game, creating lanes for the bulked-up Murray, who is simply stronger than his assignments in this matchup. With room to work, he bullied his way to the rim effectively, and even when the two-time DPOY was in his way, he looked right through him.

Jamal Murray 360 layup 😳

Nuggets are back in this pic.twitter.com/1F4oje53Dl

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 26, 2020

Can’t hold him.

Nikola Jokić – A

This series calls for high-volume outside shooting from the big man, and he obliged in Games 4 & 5. Jokić was 7-11 from deep, including 5-5 in the first quarter, and the dagger from the right corner late in the fourth. Gobert has roamed and owned the paint since Game 1, but Jokić’s hot hand is beginning to open things up.

On the other end of the court, he looked better defensively in crunch time. With the longbois fighting through the screens, he was able to stay home and disrupt. Jokić can’t mitigate a failing Point of Attack defense and protect the lob at the same time, but he didn’t spend the fourth-quarter on his heels, and we saw signs of that underrated defender we’ve described in the past.

PJ Dozier – A-

With the season on the line and offseason on the horizon, Malone went to the pure longboi lineup at last. Dozier closed admirably alongside Denver’s talented trio and Grant, turning up the heat on defense. He was spectacular, and stayed within himself, shooting just once in 20 minutes. With Torrey Craig struggling and Gary Harris still missing, what a development it would be for Dozier to fill their shoes.

The Class

Michael Porter Jr. – C+ 

Let’s skip to the fourth quarter to evaluate MPJ’s 15 point performance. First, it’s worth noting that Malone chose to close with him despite the limited impact on offense. Porter has a target on his back out there right now, and rightfully so, but the late adjustment allowed him to settle in. The Nuggets stopped switching, and while the rookie doesn’t always know where to be, he’s long enough to fit into that approach nicely. We didn’t see him on an island down the stretch; iso’d to a merciless death by Mitchell and company. Instead, we saw him stay home on Jordan Clarkson, and finally figure out how difficult it should be for Clarkson to shoot over him. MPJ won’t develop into a plus-defender overnight, but he’s learning.

Jerami Grant – C+

Grant pulled in 6 rebounds, which is like 16 rebounds after you apply his handicap. He scored 13 points on 33% from the field, but his line isn’t necessarily important. The Nuggets look better equipped to defend Utah with him out there, especially so alongside MPJ, as opposed to another power forward in Millsap.

Principal’s Office

Paul Millsap, Torrey Craig, Mason Plumlee – D+

There’s no place for Millsap in the starting lineup against Utah. There’s no reason to give Craig minutes if he’s not locking Mitchell down. There’s no real role for Plumlee to fill in this series.

The good news: Harris was upgraded to questionable ahead of Game 5, and might be ready for a limited return. Perhaps he can take on Craig’s minutes. If Malone goes to the longbois full time, then the best course of action might be to hand Plumlee’s bench minutes over to Millsap.