Denver Nuggets Steal One From Indiana Pacers

Nikola Jokić – A-

Jokić drew a harsh whistle in Indiana and made life harder for himself with a couple of silly fouls. Five quick ones left him on the bench for much of the game, but Jokić only needed twenty minutes to tilt the game in Denver’s favor. He led all scorers in the fourth quarter and was on the floor long enough to steal victory from the jaws of defeat. Although, he wasn’t the lone hero this time around. Unlike the shorthanded squads of recent memory, this team is good enough to win without him for stretches. Others stepped up in his absence—perhaps none more so than Aaron Gordon.

Aaron Gordon – A-

Between Indiana’s size and Jokić’s minutes, Denver needed a big-time effort on the glass from the remaining starters. AG obliged with 16, including four on the offensive end. When the game looked most out of reach, Gordon pressed forward, bullying his way to a positive impact. It wasn’t always pretty—he was in seventh gear, contributing to his five turnovers and myriad near-turnovers, but it was a matter of willpower. There was a brick wall between the Nuggets and where they wanted to be, and Gordon ran right through it.

KCP – A-

Pope was doing the lord’s work in the third quarter. Jokić only logged fifty-eight seconds in the third, but KCP played all 12, scoring 11 points on 3 of 4 shooting. Denver actually won that quarter by eight. He finished the game with a highly-efficient 15 points and added eight rebounds. Gang rebounding was in full effect.

Jamal Murray – B–

Murray struggled a bit from the field, shooting 6 of 15. But he remained committed to the win, adding eight rebounds of his own from the point guard position. He also tallied four assists. Other versions of that game’s script feature Murray saving the day with no Jokić. That’s not how it played out this time, but he played his part in a gutsy win.

Michael Porter Jr. – B-

Porter played well with the starters, but extended minutes with an ineffective bench weighed down his +/- and grade here. The stagger is helpful, but he’s too often uninvolved, in no small part due to his inability to put the ball on the floor. Bones and Porter on the floor can work with tough shotmaking, but they have yet to discover an identity together. Can they figure out how to exploit a defense and not just shoot over it?

Bones Hyland – C+

We saw flashes of great stuff from Bones, enough that Michael Malone tossed out the typical rotation and left Bones with the starters late in the fourth. That was a somewhat confusing decision given Bones’ inefficiency on the night and porous defense, but he can fill it up. That was on display when he hit one of the biggest shots in the game to close the third quarter. It was a bumpy road for Bones. One that ultimately led to victory.

Bruce Brown – C+

Brown is coming back down to earth on offense, but when it comes to defense, he is truly not of this world. He played winning basketball despite scoring only two points in nearly 22 minutes on the court.

This is why I call Bruce Brown the best individual defender of the Jokic era. pic.twitter.com/nCxhcRuHke

— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) November 10, 2022

Jeff Green – C-

You might object to this grade based on Green’s spectacular chase-down block.

A Jeff Green chase down block in 2022 did not have it on the menu. pic.twitter.com/kvKB8hB6sa

— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) November 10, 2022

Fair. But I’d submit the following argument: that’s all you can remember from Green’s performance. A lack of effort and impact still defined it.

DeAndre Jordan – Passed

The DAJ experiment underwent its most significant test as Jordan logged 17:36 with Jokić in foul trouble. Did he fill the MVP’s giant shoes? No. Did the Nuggets survive the minutes? Yes. It’s a pass/fail assignment for Jordan, and he passed.