DNVR Player Grades: Nuggets get back on track

It’s like Christmas night never happened. The Denver Nuggets looked themselves again on Saturday night as they led wire-to-wire in a 119-110 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. And by looked themselves, I mean the complete package—building up a big lead, failing to close out the half strong, losing focus on defense in the third quarter, but pulling out a win nonetheless.

Head Coach Michael Malone had plenty to say about the defensive lapse and the near-blown lead post-game, but those predictable stains obfuscated an otherwise feel-good win in which the offense hummed. Denver’s star Nikola Jokić served as a celestial one, with nearly everything revolving around him. He set the table for yet another triple-double with an aggressive and dominant first quarter, scoring 14 points before he recorded his first assist. He liked his matchup with Jonas Valanciunas and feasted inside.

The Nuggets got out to a sizable lead early, and that allowed Michael Malone to throw Michael Porter Jr. out there for meaningful minutes alongside Jokić. The absence of Paul Millsap also required some ingenuity from Malone, who unearthed some fun lineups featuring length and shooting. It all facilitated one of the best games from MPJ and Jokić, respectively, this season.

After holding the Memphis Grizzlies to just 11 points in the first quarter, the Nuggets took their foot off the gas, allowing 28, 29, and then 42 points in the quarters that followed. But they never relinquished the lead, scoring 69 points of their own in the second half. (Say it in your heads. I’m not writing it.)

All told this looked an awful lot like the performance we hoped to see Christmas night with the national media in town. New Orleans snapped the winning streak, but the Nuggets got the train back on the tracks against a team well below their caliber.

Let’s go to the grades:

Honor Roll

Nikola Jokić – A+

Nikola Jokić did whatever he wanted to on Saturday night, leaving a trail of thick honey in his wake. The big man put up a season-high 31 points en route to his seventh triple-double of the season. He finished the game 12-of-19 from the floor and hit two of his five three-point attempts in the first quarter. He was rolling, going to work early as a scorer, then sitting back and picking the defense apart with his playmaking as the game found its natural rhythm.

After the game, Jokić went through his new ritual. He got a quick lift in before getting his media availability out of the way early. He hit the showers, threw back on whatever clothes he presumably found on his floor that morning, and strolled out the door whistling away his latest earworm — just another day at the office.

Will Barton III – A-

Another day, another dollar, another chance to make you all apologize for the Barton slander. ‘Thrill’ struggled out the gate, but rounded into his pure form—Denver’s Swiss army knife. He finished with 20 points, seven assists, five rebounds, two steals, and a block. He did a little bit of everything, most notably finding a rhythm in the two-man game with Jokić. Barton is as good a complementary piece as any to the Nuggets’ best player right now.

The Class

Mason Plumlee – B+

Plumlee all but locked up a spot in the honor roll before getting torched by Valanciunas in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. He played 19 minutes in the win, starting in Paul Millsap’s stead, and was impressive alongside Jokić. Plumlee finished with 15 points on 6-0f-10 from the floor and grabbed seven rebounds, including three on the offensive end.

There’s unfortunate dynamic that’s forming over Plumlee’s season like rain cloud—his misses have been loud, and frustrating, to the point where we’ve become prone to overlooking his contributions. This game was not the first instance in which he’s been the best player off the bench.

Michael Porter Jr. – B+

No curve for Michael Porter Jr. tonight, as there didn’t appear to be any training wheels on him either. He played in over 18 minutes, made appearances in both halves, and spent a reasonable amount of time on the court with Denver’s best players. He finished with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting, 3-of-5 from deep, and four rebounds as well.

It was probably his best performance of the year, as he avoided any severe mishaps on defense, and was with the program on the other end. It was a highly encouraging night for one of the most intriguing young players in the league.

Gary Harris – B

Stop me if you’ve read this before—Harris was mediocre on offense but followed the script and dominated on the defensive end. That’s how virtually every game has gone for him this season, and literally, any of you could be writing these blurbs for his grades at this point.

In the name of real analysis, I do have an actual takeaway—Harris drove to the rim hard and with conviction on Saturday night. He looked explosive, decisive, and strong on his drives. Perhaps this is another sign that the insufferable tentativeness defining his offense is dissipating.

Jamal Murray – C+

Murray didn’t play poorly on Saturday night, but his inefficient 15, 5, and 5 wasn’t anything to write home about either. Murray is clearly the most talented player on the roster behind the All-NBA center, but it doesn’t always seem like he’s with the program when the offense is humming.

Jerami Grant – C

Grant played 31 minutes in the win, closing out the second half in place of Plumlee. He had a couple of sweet moments, including a backdoor cut that led to a nifty pass from Jokić and a patented reverse slam, but was ultimately underwhelming. He finished with just 12 points on ten shots, grabbed only four rebounds, and did not record an assist.

Game Ball