DNVR Player Grades: do the Nuggets want this?

Championships are not won in March. Few meaningful games are. But the Denver Nuggets are running out of time to show us they’re ready to improve on last season’s playoff run. The Nuggets play their best when they play with joy, and they’ve played joylessly since the All-Star break. The defense is in shambles, the turnovers are out of control, and their best player looks checked out. The Nuggets faithful want to believe, but the Nuggets don’t look like they want anything.

That faith was put to the test again when the Denver Nuggets fell 104-102 to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday, cementing a season sweep at the hands of NBA bottom-feeders.

The Nuggets stormed out of the gate and took an early lead thanks to a barrage of three-pointers. They hit seven of their 12 attempts from deep in the opening quarter, with Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, and Will Barton III knocking down two apiece. The starting frontcourt struggled as neither Nikola Jokić or Paul Millsap could make an impact in the first twelve minutes, but 10 points on 100% shooting from Harris set the tone for a 33 point frame.

The threes dried up in the second quarter. The Nuggets shot 10 times from beyond the arc, but only connected on 3 of them. The second unit lost their minutes, and the starters barely stayed above water thanks to another uninspiring quarter from Jokić. Kevin Love and Collin Sexton scored 10 points each as the Cavs cut into the lead and began to swing the momentum in their favor.

After an unsuccessful quarter from three-point land, the Nuggets grew gunshy in the third. They shot just 5 times from deep, yielding only 3 points. Denver’s inability to contain speedy guards reared its head as Sexton and Matthew Dellavedova sliced their way through the defense and wreaked havoc. Cedi Osman added a couple of threes from the outside, and the Cavs opened up the two-point lead that would serve as the margin of victory.

Both teams scored 19 points in the fourth quarter. After Tristan Thompson missed two free throws late, the Nuggets took possession with 18 seconds left as Barton III secured the rebound. Michael Malone opted not to use his final timeout, and Barton III took the ball up the court. He received a screen from Jokić and looked to attack the basket, but his drive was cut off, so he dumped the ball to Millsap.

Millsap dished it back out to Murray, who, after some dribbling and a screen, found himself in nearly the same spot from which he hit the game-winner in Charlotte. Murray put up the same shot, but this time it fell short, and the Nuggets fell to another sub-.500 team.

It’s always a tough pill to swallow when a final possession ends without Jokić touching the ball. But it’s worth pointing out that he turned in a lazy effort and subpar performance from the opening tip. The All-World center hasn’t looked himself since returning from the break, and he looked like anything but a leader in Cleveland.

The Nuggets are good enough to push for the Western Conference finals, but at the moment, they look destined for a second-round exit. Do they even care to change that narrative? Do they look like a team that’s determined to prove their doubters wrong? It’s gut-check time. 

To the grades:

Honor Roll

Nope.

The Class

Gary Harris – B+

Gary Harris represents the lone silver lining from an otherwise lousy result. He scored 18 points in 30 minutes and shot 7-of-8 from the field, including a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. He also recorded 5 steals.

Over his last 8 games, Harris is shooting 58% from three on 2.4 attempts per game.

Jamal Murray – B

After an impressive 5-game stretch, Murray has cooled off a little. He played fine in Cleveland — 17 points on 50% shooting with 5 rebounds and 7 assists. But the Nuggets needed him to be the best player on the floor given Jokić’s lack of contribution. He wasn’t.

Murray plays a significant role in Denver’s struggles with speedy guards, and his defense wasn’t great again in Cleveland. He had a chance to push the game to OT with virtually the same look he had to beat the Hornets, but this time he came up short.

Will Barton III – B

Barton III turned in one of the best offensive performances by a Nuggets player on Saturday. He led the team in Minutes (36), field goal attempts (18), and points (22) while shooting 50% from the field and grabbing 8 rebounds. His handling of the final possession wasn’t ideal — that ball has to go to Jokić — but it’s worth noting that Barton didn’t shoot or turn the ball over after his decision to attack. The play was still alive. Where he did struggle was the defensive end, leaving capable shooters open beyond the arc on more than one occasion, and fouling Love on a three late in the game.

Michael Porter Jr. – C+

Torrey Craig was the first small forward off the bench, but after struggling and quickly getting into foul trouble, Malone swapped him for Porter Jr., who finished the game with 15 minutes played. He scored 7 points on fifty percent shooting but wasn’t put in much of a position to swing the game. He didn’t make much of an impact.

Mason Plumlee – C

Plumlee scored 5 points, grabbed 3 rebounds, and recorded 2 assists in his 15 minutes. He was decidedly average.

Morris – C-

Just 7 points and 1 assist in 22 minutes for Morris. He was quiet.

Principal’s Office

Nikola Jokić – D+

The lion’s share of responsibility for this loss lies with Jokić. So much has been asked of him this season, but that’s the life of the best player on an NBA team, and he thoroughly checked out on his teammates last night. Jokić was called for consecutive travels to open the game, which was all it took to throw him out of focus. In 32 minutes, he put up 8-8-8 on 36.4% from the floor. He never really got involved or looked to help his team win.

Paul Millsap – D+

Millsap hasn’t looked himself since returning from injury. He struggled big-time in Cleveland, logging just 8 points and failing to earn his keep on the other end of the floor.

Jerami Grant – D+

Grant played with more heart and hustle than just about any Nuggets player, and he did generate four steals. But the reality is he scored 7 points in 21 minutes on 37.5% shooting and only grabbed 3 rebounds. He played poorly.

Torrey Craig – D+

Foul trouble limited Craig to just 7 minutes on the court.