DNVR Player Grades: Lucky Number Seven

If you missed this game, as one too many Nuggets fans have this season, an apt summary might be one that skips to its thrilling conclusion. Four quarters of basketball had nearly come and gone before Denver secured their seventh consecutive win with a clutch three, an icy clutch step-back, a clutch substitution, and a game-sealing block. The Nuggets made a little magic in the final minutes of their 113-111 win over the Phoenix Suns.

This game featured some of everything we know about Denver. The starters rolled, and the bench sputtered. The Nuggets got out to a big lead, only to take their foot off the gas pedal in the third quarter. The win was up for the taking, and their best players grabbed it. 

Nikola Jokić has been as clutch as just about anyone in the league since the beginning of last season, and he set the table for an exhilarating finish with a big-time run in the final 4:07. He scored seven points on just two shots and recorded an assist—securing yet another triple-double—to Jamal Murray, who sank a clutch three to take the lead with 27 seconds remaining.

Devin Booker responded with a three of his own to tie the game on the following possession, and Murray dribbled the clock out before a Jokić-screen forced a switch. Murray turned the corner hard and ditched Aaron Baynes with a filthy step back. Cash.

Phoenix called a timeout, and Nuggets head coach Michael Malone made a defensive substitution by replacing Murray with Jerami Grant, who, poetically, swatted away Booker’s retaliatory three to ice the game.

Let’s go to the grades.

Honor Roll

Jamal Murray – A

Murray’s knocking on the door of a hot streak, but the operative word for his performance on Monday night lives on the other end of that spectrum. Ice flowed through his veins in the final minutes of a performance that included 28 points on 12-of-19 shooting, 4-of-8 from three-point range, and seven assists in over 35 minutes. Murray was solid all night and lethal when it mattered most, scoring the five most essential points of the game in the final 27 seconds.

“Do the Nuggets need a closer?”

They might have two.

Nikola Jokić – A

Don’t look now, but Nikola Jokić’s three-point shot is back. He hit four of his seven attempts on Monday night en route to a 22-point triple-double—his sixth of the season and 34th of his career, moving him into sole possession of 10th on the all-time list. It looked, briefly, as though Jokić might not turn it on time as the Suns lead ballooned to nine in the fourth quarter, and his body language looked suitable for someone on the second night of a back-to-back. But he found his wind and willed the Nuggets back into the game, setting it up Murray, both literally and figuratively, with a chance to drive the final nail home.

The Class

Will Barton II – B+

Barton III looked like a player who had just poured everything into a vital win in the first half of a back-to-back. He was playing his tail off, but wringing out whatever juice he had left. In the end, he finished with 13 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals, while turning it over three times. He knocked down a crucial three late in the fourth quarter, and while it might seem trivial, his awareness and post-entry competence played a significant role in Jokić’s late run.

Gary Harris – B

Devin Booker, Harris’ primary assignment, was held to just 11 points on 3-of-12 from the field on Monday night, although without sound matchup data and a rewatch of the game, it’s only fair to point out that this was a successful team effort to an observable extent. Still, there’s a strong correlation this season in subpar performances from opposing stars and matchups with Harris.

‘First Team’ was at it again. 

Principal’s Office

The Bench – D

-4, -19, -23, -24 — those are the respective +/- scores for Monte Morris, Jerami Grant, Mason Plumlee, and Malik Beasley in a game the Nuggets won by two. Grant scored 11 points but recorded only one rebound in just under 20 minutes of playing time, and he was on the floor for multiple stretches when Denver hemorrhaged points. No other bench player reached double-digits in scoring, and Mason Plumlee and Malik Beasley accounted for 6 of Denver’s 21 turnovers on the night.

Game Ball