DNVR Player Grades: a run to remember

Down by 15 points at halftime and by 19 early in the third quarter, the Nuggets were trending towards one of their more disappointing losses of the season.

Paul Millsap had other ideas.

Millsap scored seven-straight points beginning at the 9:11 mark of the third and sprung the Nuggets on a 24-0 run over the next six minutes to take control of Wednesday’s matchup with the Orlando Magic. The Magic came back to cut the Nuggets’ advantage to two points late in the fourth but Denver held on. The Nuggets’ 113-104 win was their fourth-straight victory as Denver improved to 18-8 on the season with a date with Northwest Division foe Minnesota on tap for Friday.

Let’s go to the grades.

Honor Roll

Jamal Murray – A

Murray had really struggled on the offensive end of the floor over Denver’s last three games but came alive against Orlando. He score a game-high 33 points on 10 of 19 shooting and got to the line 10 times. He carried the Nuggets at times offensively on a night when Denver struggled to score outside of the third quarter. Murray scored 21 of his 33 in the second half. It was one of those vintage Murray games where Denver’s point guard hit one tough shot after another.

Paul Millsap – A

This was a perfect Millsap game. He played just 26 minutes in his return from a two-game absence due to quad strain but had a big impact as he keyed Denver’s 24-0 run with seven-straight points in the third. Millsap has picked his spots carefully this season, which is just what’s needed from him. He finished with 15 points on 4 of 9 shooting and 12 rebounds, which was a game high.

Malik Beasley – A

The Nuggets dusted off Beasley, who hadn’t played in Denver’s last three games, in the second half and he rewarded Michael Malone for his decision. Beasley’s energy was big during the Nuggets’ 24-0 run and the two-guard was a plus-13 in his 11 minutes off the bench which spanned from the middle of the third quarter to the fourth. Will Beasley stick in Denver’s rotation going forward? He took Michael Porter Jr.’s second-half minutes and the Nuggets are also looking to dial back Gary Harris’ workload. It seems like there’s a decent chance he does.

Nikola Jokic – A-

Jokic posted a classic stat line against Orlando — 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 12 assists, and perhaps the most notable portion of his night had to do with his three-point shooting. Jokic shot 2 of 4 from three-point range against the Magic, raising his three-point shooting percentage on the season to 27.1%, an improvement on the low 20’s that he’s hovered around from 3 this season. It feels like he’s gradually finding his shot, and if he does it’s going to be curtains for the defense.

The Class

Will Barton – B

Barton played 39 (thirty nine!) minutes against the Magic, and with the Nuggets starting to mix and match their starters and bench Barton has seen his playing time climb a bit. He hauled in nine rebounds and was a plus-22 which will do nothing but help the NBA’s leader in Defensive Real Plus-Minus.

Michael Porter Jr. – B-

Porter logged nine minutes Wednesday spanning from the middle of the first quarter to the beginning of the second, which seemed like one of his larger continuous stretches of the season. Porter did some good things. The rookie tallied four points, three rebounds, and hooked up with Jokic on a nifty alley-oop where Denver’s big man found the 6-foot-10 forward on a perfectly-timed backdoor cut to the rim. Porter did get replaced by Beasley on the Nuggets’ second unit in the second half, but it does seem that when he’s out there, Denver will try and get him run alongside Jokic. That’s a promising development going forward.

Jerami Grant – B

Grant is staying hot from 3 and he knocked in two of his three attempts from distance against Orlando. He continues to trend up even though he’s back on Denver’s second unit with Millsap returning. But like Porter, the Nuggets are getting Grant consistent minutes when they can with Denver’s starting group. It’s another positive trend,

Mason Plumlee – B

Plumlee logged 19 minutes against Orlando and finished with nine points, six rebounds, and two assists.

Gary Harris – B-

Over Harris’ last 10 games he’s shooting 38.8% from 3. But against Orlando he was just 1 of 4 from distance. Still, it seems like he’s getting to the rim more and more. Harris had one of his signature drives Wednesday coupled with a crafty reverse layup that drew some ooh’s and aahh’s from the Pepsi Center crowd.