DNVR Player Grades: Grant digs deep, Murray gets clutch, and Nuggets win Game 3

Jamal Murray spends a lot of time behind the three-point line in warm-ups. He doesn’t put on quite the same show or draw the crowd that Golden State’s Steph Curry does, but he goes through a similar routine. Contested threes, pull up threes, and half-court bombs comprise virtually the entire session. He doesn’t leave the court until the latter goes down. Often, there’s a kid or two in a Nuggets jersey calling out his name, hoping for any acknowledgment from their favorite player. There will be many more kids whenever we’re allowed in the arena again after this run.

Murray sent not one but two daggers through Los Angeles Tuesday night as the Nuggets held onto a late lead and a 114-106 win in Game 4. They were the kind of shots you have to be crazy to even consider. They were the kind of shots only stars make. They were the kind of shots he practices.

The first quarter belonged to Nikola Jokić. In 12 minutes, he put up 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists on 5/7 shooting. He was deep in his bag and particularly aggressive. He finished near the rim, he dropped his gorgeous floater, and he did whatever this is to LeBron.

This shot by Jokic over LeBron! pic.twitter.com/VDyNRHLyl1

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) September 23, 2020

The Nuggets pulled away with a 15-5 run that occurred with Jokić on the bench. You can send the fruit basket to Monte Morris. Morris put up 12 second-quarter points in less than 9 minutes, shooting 4-of-5 from the floor and hitting two threes. He got some help from Murray, who added 9 points. The Nuggets took a 10 point lead into the half.

If you were waiting for the other shoe to drop, it looked as though it might in the opening minutes of the third quarter. The Lakers scored the first five points, and Malone took a timeout less than two minutes into the half. It effectively stymied the Lakers run.

Jerami Grant went on to play his best quarter in a Nuggets uniform, dropping 12 points on 4-of-6 from the field in just over 10 minutes. His defensive assignments are as taxing as it gets. It’s probably not fair to ask much of him on the other end. And yet, he obliged all the same Tuesday night.

If the wheels looked wobbly in the third, then at least one fell off entirely in the fourth quarter. After the Nuggets pushed their lead to 20, the Lakers responded with their biggest run of the game. Anthony Davis was fouled on a three-point shot and sank the free throws. LeBron James hit a three on the following possession. In the blink of an eye, the Lakers engineered a 19-2 run.

Los Angeles turned to a zone defense, and while Grant later told reporters the Nuggets game planned for that look, it was hard to tell. Jokić and company froze up, and the Lakers pounced. The Nuggets were bleeding out fast, and despite their once big lead, a 3-0 series deficit loomed. With 5:50 remaining, Grant broke the drought with a runner off the glass and sunk a pair of free throws almost two minutes later.

Murray did the rest.

Two daggers later, the Nuggets are a Davis prayer away from a 2-1 lead, and brimming with confidence. It’s still anyone’s series.

Let’s go to the grades:

Jamal Murray – A

Murray looked like he was pressing the issue a bit at times, and hardly looked composed when the Lakers went on their big run. But every great player knows they can erase all wrongdoing with one shot. In Murray’s case, I guess it was two.

Jamal Murray shakes Alex Caruso – hits 3, finds Paul Millsap for dunk, and hits dagger 3 in Anthony Davis' face! WCF Game 3 Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Lakers! Full clip: https://t.co/IlnYHGlPRz #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/tJ90lTxeLd

— Chaz (@ChazNBA) September 23, 2020

Sandwiched between those shots is an incredible find of Paul Millsap under the rim. Murray’s grown into an exceptional playmaker and well-rounded guard. With newfound gravity of his own as a threat to score from anywhere on the court, he’s beginning to pull strings and manipulate overzealous defenders.

Murray is an elite scorer with playmaking skills who is raising his game on the defensive side of the ball and playing his best with the season on the line.

I think those are all of the boxes.

Jerami Grant – A

Here’s a fun one: would you rather have Jerami Grant or a late first-round pick? I think I know what Malone would say. This is why Denver brought Jerami Grant over from Oklahoma City. We’ve seen him guard Donovan Mitchell, we’ve seen him guard Kawhi Leonard, we’ve seen him on LeBron James, and we’ve seen him on Anthony Davis. The Nuggets wouldn’t have a chance in hell of stopping players like Kawhi or LeBron without him. They would be back in Denver by now.

Grant finished with 26 points on 7-of-11 from the field and 10-12 from the line. Denver lacks a player who is willing and able to get to the charity stripe consistently, but time and time again in Game 3, Grant put his head down and his body on the line. He’s another big game or two away from a significant raise in the offseason.

Nikola Jokić – A-

Jokić put up 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists on 9-of-14 shooting. He scored half of his points in the opening quarter, showing an extraordinary level of aggression and setting the tone for a great half. He was far too passive against the zone during the fourth quarter collapse, but all is well that ends well.

The Nuggets won, and Jok got another one off:

Anthony Davis couldn’t have defended this play any better. Just tip your cap to Nikola Jokic for the unbelievable shot. pic.twitter.com/uSOT3qM35X

— Positive Residual (@presidual) September 23, 2020

Cash.

The Class

Monte Morris – B+

Morris barely misses out on the honor roll here. Those three made the most significant winning impact, but the Nuggets have Morris to thank for the halftime lead. Denver pulled away with Jokić on the bench—among the most encouraging signs of victory known to this fanbase—thanks to Morris’ 12 points in the second.

Remember, Morris didn’t hit a single three-point shot in his first postseason. In the absence of Will Barton III, his abilities to contribute as a secondary ball-handler and underrated catch and shoot threat are essential. He delivered Tuesday night.

Paul Millsap – C+

Millsap is nothing short of cooked offensively, but he’s on the court for more than just sentimental value in this series. Matchup data is wonky, but it all suggests Millsap has more success guarding Davis than anyone else on the roster to this point.

https://twitter.com/DaveDuFourNBA/status/1308652404309712896?s=20

We can’t say for sure how much should be chalked up to clunky logging and outlier outcomes. But Malone and his staff see all the numbers we do. They see this too.

Additionally, a Grant-Millsap pairing is far and away best suited to handle the LeBron-AD pick-and-roll, an action that sometimes requires a switch, in which the pair communicates well. Millsap is also rebounding well, a key component of their Game 3 victory.

Principal’s Office:

The LA Media – F

This is for telling me Dwight Howard is a difference-maker.