DNVR Player Grades: another ugly loss

The Denver Nuggets entered Saturday night’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers with five losses to teams with less than 15 wins and six losses to teams with a record below .500. The Cavs had yet to win a game against a team with a winning record. It all added up to peak exasperation when the Nuggets trailed the Cavs nearly wire-to-wire in the 111-103 loss in the Pepsi Center.

The Nuggets are not the only team in the NBA with a handful of regrettable losses. It’s a natural symptom of the 82 game schedule—only the very best are immune. But these losses add up and take their toll on a fan base. It’s hard to trust a team that plays up when it matters but can’t seem to be bothered when an inferior opponent shows up to the arena.

The only starter who could hit a shot was Nikola Jokić, but he didn’t shoot enough and didn’t look particularly interested in willing his team to victory. Only Jamal Murray cleared 20 points as the Nuggets shot 43% from the field and 20.5% from three-point range. Before the game, head coach Michael Malone reiterated he’s mostly focused on his team’s approach to this game—noting that they don’t always get up for the teams that aren’t as “sexy.” But if he had to circle one thing that worries him about Cleveland, it’s their rebounding acumen. Both dynamics reared their heads as the Nuggets came out dreadfully flat, and the Cavaliers won the rebounding battle by 13.

Let’s go to the grades:

Honor Roll

No one made the cut.

The Class

Nikola Jokić – B 

Jokić scored his 19 points efficiently, hitting nine of his twelve field goal attempts, including two three-pointers on five attempts. Jokić was great when he wanted to be, but on a night when the ball wasn’t popping, and the shots weren’t falling, he wasn’t aggressive enough. We’ve seen him take a slightly different approach to these types of games since the start of December. While always working towards a ‘Spursian’ ideal of team basketball, Jokić has developed an understanding of the importance of taking over a game as a scorer. Denver wasn’t playing the right way tonight, and that’s not Jokić’s fault, but he could have found a way to make a more significant impact on this game. His team needed that from him. He also struggled to keep Tristan Thompson off the offensive glass. Thompson grabbed seven such boards in 38 minutes played. 

Monte Morris – B

Morris was the only Nugget to finish this game with a positive mark in the +/- column, finishing with eleven points, four assists, and zero turnovers.

Jamal Murray – B- 

For all of the apt criticisms of Murray, he plays his tail off night-in and night-out, and this game was no exception. Murray looked to be one of the few who were interested at all in winning this game, and he made a late push in the fourth as the Nuggets made things interesting down the stretch. But ultimately, it was another underwhelming and inefficient night for the 170 million dollar man. Murray hit just 10 of his team-high 22 shots, and only two of his nine attempts from deep. His nadir came on a fastbreak when he and Will Barton III outnumbered the lone Cavs defender, but Murray chose to go behind-the-back with a dribble move into a behind-the-back pass. Barton lost the ball, and an easy two points fell down the drain.

Will Barton III – C+

Barton III played hard in the loss, but he had a rough night. ‘Thrill’ hit just seven of his 18 field goal attempts, one of his six three-point attempts, and left a crucial point on the line as he missed a free throw with 2:55 remaining in a four-point game. He then botched a layup thirty seconds later.

Mason Plumlee – C+

Six points, five boards, and four assists for Plumlee in 25 minutes off the bench, but he also committed five personal fouls and made some mental mistakes as he closed the game alongside Jokić in place of Grant. Plumlee was decidedly average.

Jerami Grant – C

Grant started in place of Millsap and struggled to fill those shoes in his 27 minutes on the court. Grant is a terrible rebounder for someone of his size and athletic ability, and that was particularly damaging in a matchup with one of the best rebounding frontcourts in the league. He got pushed around on the glass and didn’t make much of an impact defensively.

The Principle’s Office

Gary Harris – D+ 

There’s a reserved seat with Harris’ name on it in this office. In 32 minutes, he scored eight points on 3-of-11 from the floor, grabbed two rebounds and recorded four assists. I understand that Harris is seemingly committed to the defensive end of the floor, but the game is played both ways, and he’s been categorically bad on offense. Harris agreed to what appeared to be a team-friendly extension in October of 2017, but he’s not earning that contract when he’s not locking up the opponents’ best player right now.

Malik Beasley – D+ 

In 12 minutes, Beasley took and missed five shots, finishing with just two points after a trip to the free-throw line.