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Denver Nuggets Sleepwalk Through Loss in Orlando

Brendan Vogt Avatar
February 10, 2023

Nikola Jokić – B-

Jokić played an unfocused game down in Orlando. He was sloppy in his playmaking, turning it over seven times, and turned in one of his worst defensive efforts this season. The magic, for all their flaws, possesses length and athleticism. They defend Jokić well, notably Wendell Carter Jr., who presents a tough matchup for the MVP. But too many of these errors directly resulted from his lack of focus. He found his groove by the end of the night. Still, it was too little too late. He played a significant role in Denver throwing away an early lead and playing catch-up for the rest of the night.

Micahel Porter Jr. – D

Porter started hot but fell in love with a three-point shot that wasn’t falling. He, too, needed more focus and went away from his version of winning basketball. He was chucking and missing and failed to contribute in other areas. Denver needed more from him without Jamal Murray.

Aaron Gordon – A+

This is not the first time Gordon’s brought his A game against his ex-team, only to receive very little help from his surrounding cast. Gordon finished four points off his career-high of 41, scoring hyper-efficiently and dragging his teammates back into the contest. He grabbed 13 boards too. He was an animal, near-flawless, and it fell by the wayside in a bad loss.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – C+

KCP provided roughly 75% of his regular contribution. But he left his three-point shot back in Denver. He finished 0 of 3 from deep. Still, he played well otherwise. His obsession with making the extra pass and keeping the ball moving paid off. He racked up five assists by swinging the ball quickly to open shooters.

Bruce Brown – C

It’s helpful that Brown can play point guard, but the jury is still out on how productive he is in the role. His spot starts in place of Murray have gone well in the past. He can be a tremendous complementary player through his defense and high motor. Still, there’s plenty of room for growth as the primary guard. He struggled in that role against the Magic.

Christian Braun – D

I wonder how well Harrison slept last night. For perhaps the first time all season, the ever-dependable rookie truly struggled. He grabbed zero rebounds, recorded zero assists, and registered more personal fouls than points in nearly twenty minutes. His -22 was the lowest mark on the team. That’s not an attempt at cherry-picking a narrative-aiding +/- number. It’s only notable, as his minutes have typically yielded much-preferable results for Denver. It was that kind of night in Orlando.

Ish Smith – C-

Smith joined Braun off the bench, and Smith also went scoreless in the contest. The bench minutes were an unmitigated disaster.

Jeff Green – C

Green led all Nuggets scorers off the bench with seven. He grabbed three rebounds and generally gave a better effort than he has of late. But that’s a low bar to clear. Green doesn’t play much defense and is the only player who avoids Malone’s ire for not doing so. To be fair about the rotation, Zeke Nnaji was out with an injury, and of course, Thomas Bryant is not yet with the team.

Vlatko Čančar – C

Vlatko couldn’t save the day. He blended into the background of a dreadful unit. Denver got waxed with the second unit on the floor.

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