Denver Nuggets Put On A Show In Chicago

Nikola Jokić – A+

Nikola Jokić loves to play in Chicago. Averaging nearly a triple-double in the Windy City entering play Sunday night, Jokić put up a light 12 assists in the first half. He was in such complete control of the game his dominance might’ve gone unnoticed, but those in Denver have trained their eyes. Jokić was nearly flawless en route to 8 points on 4 of 4 shooting, 6 rebounds, and 14 assists. The Nuggets eviscerated the Bulls with him on the floor.

Michael Porter Jr. – A+

MPJ followed his worst outing of the season with perhaps the best of his professional career. As he often does, Porter got hot quickly in the first quarter, but this scoring spree was different. He didn’t fade into the background from there. Jokić looked to Porter repeatedly, and Porter made it easy by staying active off-ball. He moved as well as he shot, and when the threes were closed off, he attacked overzealous closeouts and scored at the rim gracefully. After scoring 12 points in the first, Porter dropped another 16 in the third.

A glance at the box score reveals a one-note contribution, leaving out his focus and effort on defense. Those who watched saw one of MPJ’s best all-around performances. He matched an A+ game from the back-to-back MVP. Chicago never stood a chance.

Jamal Murray – B+

Porter was in such an unmistakable rhythm scoring that Malone opted to change the rotation. He left Porter in for an extended first stint and staggered instead with Jamal Murray—hoping he could buoy the bench’s offense in the absence of Bones Hyland. We saw mixed results, but Murray himself played well. He finished with 23 points on 50% shooting.

Aaron Gordon – B+

As we’ve discussed, AG does well finding the cracks when the stars bring their A-game. He took a commendable approach, limiting his shots again, but keeping the intensity up and bringing a bit more to the table on defense.

KCP – B-

The secret is out on KCP from 3. This man can’t be left alone beyond the arc, and the Bulls defended him accordingly. He missed his two good looks from three and otherwise didn’t find himself as open as he’s been all season. His shot selection took a step down, but he turned in 10 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals. The starters crushed.

Bruce Brown – A-

Brown put up a double-double and added six assists in 31:30 on the floor. He was relentless and attacked every minute of a potential blowout like a playoff game. He did turn it over six times, but that’s hardly worth complaining about in a monster win, especially when the Brown minutes went well for Denver.

Christian Braun – B

As I wrote, the Braun minutes went well for Denver. The rookie logged 26:13 in Chicago and played confidently. He picked up two steals and dropped some excellent finishes around the rim to go with a no-hesitation corner three. All three of his field goals looked like the result of decisiveness. That’s nice to see after Braun struggled a bit in Boston.

DeAndre Jordan – D

For those curious to know if DAJ responded with an inspiring effort off the bench, he did not. After clearing the lowest of bars to open the season, Jordan now looks to be in a losing fight with gravity.