Denver Nuggets Fine With One Seed in the West

Memphis needed it. Denver got it.

Nikola Jokić – A+

The Memphis Grizzlies are well-equipped to stop anyone, even without Steven Adams. Xavier Tillman and Jaren Jackson Jr. constitute quite the interior defense, and the Grizzlies dialed up a game plan to keep Jokić from scoring. They sent late help — waiting until he’d seemingly committed to the rim before swarming. Of course, it’s nearly impossible to catch Jokić off-guard. Whatever you hope to accomplish defensively, he’s acutely aware of it and hopes you’ll keep doing it. Every defense has a weakness. And he’s seen every defense.

Arguably the league’s best defense took a great approach, rode a big wave of shot luck, and held Denver to just 50 points in the first half. They lost by 16 after the dam broke. Jokić, who notched yet another triple-double in a win, had them figured out. He just needed his teammates to start knocking shots down. The Nuggets followed his blueprint to success and ran the Grizzlies off the floor in the second half.

Michael Malone also awarded one of two DPOG chains to the big fella. He lauded his defense in the pick-and-roll, no small task against Ja Morant. The MVP did some of everything as Denver secured the tiebreaker over the two-seed.

Jamal Murray – B+

Murray matched up with an old friend in fellow Canadian Dillon Brooks. Brooks relishes his role as an overqualified irritant, scrapping and yapping relentlessly. Of course, there’s more to him than bark. Brooks can check great scorers, and Murray dribbled the air out of the ball for three quarters, failing to shake Memphis’ junkyard dog.

Everything changed with 11:03 remaining in the fourth quarter. Murray drilled a 20-foot setback jumper in Brooks’ face and got even closer to let him know about it. He chased him all the way down the sideline and over to the bench as the Grizzlies called timeout. Murray never looked back. He dropped 15 in the fourth, turning a tough battle into a late blowout.

Michael Porter Jr. – A+

One of the early knocks on Porter was how he might shrink in big moments against the best opponents. By all accounts, Friday night’s game was played in a playoff atmosphere, with playoff intensity. And Porter was one of the very best players on the court. His night began with a focus on the little things. He rebounded well, moved well off the ball, and kept the ball moving. But he was wayward from deep.

Instead of forcing it, Porter made great decisions off the catch, first challenging the scrambled closeouts, then challenging the interior wall confidently. He took and made eight free throws on the night. He also erased any hope of a comeback with this fourth-quarter dagger.

Michael Dagger Jr. #MileHighBasketball

🎥 @RyanGreeneDNVR pic.twitter.com/D7KOpNjNz6

— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) March 4, 2023

Aaron Gordon – B-

Mr. Nugget hasn’t looked his best since hurting his ribs. Still, he doesn’t have to be at his best to make a difference in this lineup. The late collapses on Jokić left AG available in dangerous space. That’s a worthwhile gamble against other prolific bigs in NBA history, but Jokić will hit those windows just about every time. All five of Gordon’s field goals came at the rim.

Gordon also spent time with the Murray-led bench to start the fourth quarter. Thomas Bryant rolled his ankle and left the game early. The Murray-Gordon stagger both worked and piqued interest regarding its long-term prospects.

AG played his part in a big-time win. And it was a big night for AG, who was solidified as Mr. Nugget in an official capacity:

Aaron Gordon IS Mr. Nugget#MileHighBasketball

🛒 https://t.co/eujdygGfFK pic.twitter.com/dP2Hqt9Ovs

— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) March 4, 2023

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – B-

Pope has spoiled us with machine-like efficiency this season. So it felt much worse than it was, as he missed open looks and free throws throughout the game. Denver can afford occasional cold streaks from him, given his limited role and commitment to impacting the game in other areas. He won the other DPOG chain, but he deferred, passing the chain to Jamal Murray instead.

Bruce Brown – A-

Denver needed a great game from Brown, and he delivered. He was aggressive and efficient at the rim. He scored while driving in the half-court, wrought havoc in transition, and sunk his exaggerated floater. His lone three was Denver’s first of the night after missing 11 straight to open the game. The Bruce was loose.

Jeff Green – A

With all due respect to his 24-point performance, Green might’ve played his best game Friday night. His defensive effort and fight on the glass kept Denver in a contest that could easily have swung in another direction. His four rebounds and three blocks looked great in the box score and even better watching live. It was all needed. He played hard from the jump.

This Jeff Green chasedown block 😳 pic.twitter.com/Id2BPXdPc2

— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 4, 2023

Reggie Jackson – F

The Reggie Jackson minutes are not working so far. Arguments can be made and should be heard about giving him time. All the same, the current picture isn’t pretty.