Nuggets-Warriors Grades: Smacked by the reigning champs

In a clash of the Western Conference’s two top teams, the Golden State Warriors jumped to a quick start, scoring an NBA record 51 points in the first quarter and never looked back on their way to a 142-111 win.

We grade every performance from the Denver Nuggets with our Dynamic Player Rating (DPR), which take into account 12 different statistical factors.

Note: for DPRs that are lacking context, our beat reporters are offering their scout’s grade.

Nikola Jokic (C) 58.94 — In a game where he was hurt by two early fouls and only ended up playing 23 minutes resulting in a -21 outing, Jokic’s passing grade is almost surprising. In limited minutes the Joker was impressive offensively, racking up eight assists and 17 points on a 50 percent eFG%.

Jamal Murray (C+) 63.74 — Murray scored 21 points and while his shot wasn’t exactly falling early on as the Warriors got out to a hot start, he ended the game shooting 62 percent per eFG% and posted a 130 ORtg. Murray also dished out four dimes and zero assists in 31 minutes. What hurt his grade was a -21 plus-minus and season-high 148 DRtg—a trend for most Nuggets starters.

Scout’s Grade (A) — Murray’s plus-minus hurt him there, as was the case with every Nuggets player. Still, he was one of the few bright spots for the Nuggets. Overshadowed by the Warriors’ 51 point first-quarter was Murray’s first half, where he tallied 18 points over the first two quarters.

Paul Millsap (C-) 50.75 — Millsap, like Jokic, only played in 21 minutes and while he scored 10 points on 62 percent from the field, he couldn’t get to the line and struggled with the hot shooting Warriors on the defensive end with a 143 DRtg and a -12 plus-minus.

Malik Beasley (C+) 60.03 — Beasley led all scorers and proved to be a valuable contributor offensively making 6-of-10 threes and shooting 78 percent per eFG%. He was one of the few Nuggets to post an ORtg comparable to the Warriors scoring pace with a 140 but had a team worst 152 DRtg. As has been the case with Beasley most of the year, his contributions beyond scoring were limited in 32 minutes with only one rebound and little else in a -15 outing.

Scout’s Grade (B+) — Beasley continues to impress, knocking down the three at a high rate, hitting 6 of his 10 triples against Golden State. He looks like a different player than the guy who only hit 34 percent of his threes a year ago. Along with Murray, he was a bright spot.

Torrey Craig (D) 44.47 — With the Warriors outrebounding Denver early and making it rain from beyond the arc, Craig’s two boards in 23 minutes and 139 DRtg didn’t come anywhere close to enough to make an impact for the defensive specialists. While he scored four points on 66 percent FG% and added two steals and a block, it just wasn’t enough on a -13 night.

Mason Plumlee (C-) 54.42 — With Jokic dealing with foul trouble early, Plumlee might’ve played more than Michael Malone anticipated going in. Though he did add six much-needed assists, five boards, and scored nine points, he wasn’t an efficient scorer shooting 42 percent per eFG% and racking up a -19 plus-minus in 20 minutes.

Monte Morris (F) 33.37 — With the game getting out of hand early, Morris and the second, and even third unit, were given ample playing time but the young backup point didn’t have it in this one. In 14 minutes he struggled mightily to find his shooting stroke and had only his third game of the season without a single assist. It marked his second-worst DPR of the year.

Will Barton (C-) 53.29 — Despite one of the worst plus-minus on the team of -22, Barton garnered a passing grade with eight boards and four assists in 23 minutes. His scoring output of 11 points on 40 percent shooting per eFG%, combined with two turnovers, and an awful 144 DRtg all hurt his grade.

Juancho Hernangomez (C-) 52.10 — Juancho had an odd outing in 16 minutes, piling on a ridiculous -23 plus-minus, good for the worst mark on the team. But he did garner a passing grade almost entirely based off an efficient scoring night, scoring seven points on an 87 percent eFG% for a team-high 168 ORtg. Like everyone else, Juancho’s impact on the boards and defensive end of the floor was lacking against a hot Golden State team, but he managed to leave his mark.