Nuggets Game Grades: Denver starts slow, fail to execute late in loss to Knicks

The Denver Nuggets came into their matchup with the New York Knicks looking to make it three straight wins which would allow Denver to finish out their four-game east coast road trip on a positive note.

The Nuggets has been in New York for the past three days and will be taking on the Knicks for their second game of the first back-to-back of the season after dismantling the Brooklyn Nets a night prior. Last time Nikola Jokic played in Madison Square Garden he put up a monster performance with 40 points, nine rebounds, and five assists last year.

Unfortunately, an unbelievably slow start doomed the Nuggets as they fell 110-116 to the Knicks in New York City at Madison Square Garden.

Jamal Murray: C

Murray, who was coming off a season-high 26 points against the Nets, was a ghost in the first half. He only got up two shots in six minutes and looked flat, as did the rest of the starting unit, and failed to get going at any point in the first half of the game. He came alive in the second half and started hitting his shots and was a big reason why Denver’s bench unit was able to stay above water as he saw about five minutes without the starting unit surrounding him. Denver does not keep the game close without Murray’s scoring.

Gary Harris: A

Harris had himself a very bad first half but came alive in the third quarter. He was dominating Tim Hardaway Jr. every single time they were matched up in the second half and forced the Knicks into tons of turnovers in the third quarter just by playing relentless defense. Then, once Harris’s three-point shot started falling, Denver got into a groove and started to claw their way back into the game against the Knicks after being down by as many as 23 points.

Harris has been asked by Denver’s front office and coaching staff to become more as a leader for the Nuggets. Harris’ third quarter was the physical embodiment of him stepping up into that leadership role and getting the Nuggets back on track. This game against the Knicks, a game that Denver started atrociously, was a matchup that Denver should have won so Harris got the Nuggets back on track to do what they needed to have a chance to secure the victory. Bravo, Gary Harris.

Wilson Chandler: C+

Chandler’s contributions in the first half were minimal. He wasn’t scoring, failed to help on the glass, and did not make plays for his teammates. He did have one block and one turnover but, outside of that, Chandler put up zeros across the board in 13 first-half minutes. In the second half, Chandler locked in on defense and helped the Nuggets go on the big run in the third quarter that got them back into the game.  Chandler still looks lost at times on offense but as long as he helps on defense that is all that is needed from him.

Paul Millsap: D

Millsap struggled badly to start, as did all of the starters. He was a brutal 1-8 shooting in the first half and still looks out of place within the Nuggets offense. Those same trends continued into the second half as he failed to find a groove or rhythm within the Nuggets offensive and defensive system but Millsap, again, found a few ways to help the Nuggets when he was on the floor. He still does not look fully comfortable in the offense quite yet, and got obliterated by Kristaps Porzingis, but seems to be inching closer and closer with each passing game. With that being said, Millsap’s game against the Knicks was arguably his worst in a Nuggets uniform.

Nikola Jokic: A

Tonight, in the first half, the offense operated around Jokic and not through Jokic and it wasn’t until the second half that Denver started playing more through their Serbian phenom. Jokic continues to find ways to produce and be effective but the offense does not flow through him nearly often enough. Still, Jokic was able to stuff the stat sheet, played surprisingly terrific defense, and was the Nuggets’ best player most of the night so it is hard to find fault with his performance.

Emmanuel Mudiay: C

After Denver’s starters laid an egg to start the game it was Mudiay that came in and helped Denver steal some much-needed positive momentum. He was flying around on defense, disrupting passing lanes, getting to the rim at will and drawing fouls from the second he entered the game even adding two three-pointers to the mix. He did not play as well in the second half but still had a solid game for Denver against the Knicks.

Will Barton: C-

Barton entered the game after the slow beginning from the starters and immediately injected the game with loads of energy. He was impacting the game in every way possible but it wasn’t enough to help Denver overcome their awful start against the Knicks as Denver stumbled to a halftime deficit of 43-65. Then, once the second half rolled around, Barton’s energy evaporated and he struggled to help Denver for the rest of the game. Not the best shooting from Barton.

Mason Plumlee: C

Plumlee, while not doing anything that jumps off the page, did all of the dirty work for the Nuggets when he was on the floor. He was contesting shots down low, flying to closeout on shooters on the perimeter, setting strong screens, and was rebounding but failed to stand out. Overall, an average game from Plumlee.

Michael Malone: C-

Malone gets as much credit for the awful start as he does for the resilient third quarter. Denver was not ready to play to start the game, and that is ultimately why the Nuggets lost, but they showed up defensively in the second half and that is what swung the momentum into Denver’s favor allowing them to sneak back into the game. Malone has said that he needs to work on not getting too high or too low and it showed tonight; even during the roller coaster game against the Knicks Malone stayed cool, calm, and collected.

New York Knicks: A

The Knicks were, as Malone likes to say, shooting into a hula-hoop in the first half. Everything they put up seemed to fall as Denver fell behind badly from the very start of the game. It wasn’t until Denver started forcing the Knicks to turn the ball over that they were able to get back in the game. The Nuggets got the Knicks “A-game” tonight in the Madison Square Garden.