DNVR Player Grades: Nuggets respond with wire-to-wire win over Clippers

How do you earn the respect of your opponents and the national media? Responding to a blowout with a wire-to-wire win over consensus title contenders is a good start. The Denver Nuggets blitzed the Los Angeles Clippers in the first quarter, grabbing an early lead they wouldn’t relinquish and setting the tone for a 110-101 victory in Game 2. Sorry to disappoint those who picked the Clippers in 4, but this team isn’t rolling over for Kawhi Leonard and company. Denver is not here on accident.

The Nuggets’ star duo—Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray—faded into the background of Game 1, visibly gassed after seven draining games against the Utah Jazz. The Nuggets have no chance in this series if even one of those guys no-shows, but if they perform as they did in the first quarter of Game 2, this team can beat anyone. In the first 12 minutes, the pair combined for 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists on 10/12 from the field. Jokić was 3/3 from deep in that quarter alone.

If you’re willing to revisit Game 1, you’ll remember how the bench unit was tossed aside like a rag doll in their opening stint. Again, the Nuggets flipped the script in Game 2 Saturday night, as the second unit put their foot on the gas, and the lead ballooned. The Nuggets put up 44 points in the first quarter, tied for their high mark in any quarter this season, and the second-most points in any playoff quarter in team history.

The Nuggets would be on their heels for the remainder of the game, losing the next three-quarters of basketball despite not losing the lead. The team defense was spectacular, however, from making Kawhi uncomfortable to limiting Lou Williams off the bench, to the urgency and crispness with which they rotated and closed out on shooters. Shot luck has varied greatly night-to-night in the bubble, muddying our evaluations, and greying the concept of momentum. The Clippers might have just had an off night, but the Nuggets worked hard to keep them out of rhythm. They might have found the blueprint on defense.

The Nuggets held Kawhi to just 13 points on 17 shots, including 4 points and zero made field goals in the second half. That won’t happen again, but it wasn’t all dumb luck. Grant played stellar defense, as he did that in the series opener, although it didn’t seem to make a difference. You can’t stop Kawhi when he’s in rhythm, but you can work to keep him from finding it, and Denver did just that.

Kawhi saw different looks each time down the court. Sometimes the Nuggets trapped early, sometimes they sent help late, and on other possesions, they never sent help at all. They kept him on his toes, and even when they weren’t doubling, he saw multiple bodies on his way to the rim. Whether it was a quick stunt or a well-timed off-ball swipe, he had to run the gauntlet to get to his spots. It was almost hard to believe we were watching the same defense that let Donovan Mitchell channel his inner Michael Jordan.

The Clippers pushed relentlessly, inching Denver’s front line back one possession at a time, but unable to breakthrough. As Denver’s grip on the lead slipped, a horn sounded in the distance, and reinforcements from The Garrison rode in. Gary Harris led all scorers with nine fourth-quarter points, including 3/3 from deep, sealing the deal.

It will take more work to reshape their leaguewide reputation as a team to be feared when it matters most, but the Nuggets showed they belong as one of the final four teams out West. Heavy underdogs they may be, they’ll walk away from Game 2 knowing they can hang. It’s a brand new series at 1-1.

Let’s go to the grades:

Honor Roll:

Nikola Jokić – A

There’s not a Nuggets fan alive who didn’t pick Jokić to have a good series. The Clippers don’t have the horses to guard him, and in Game 2, Jokić didn’t wait to punish poor Ivica Zubac. He dropped 15 in the first quarter and nine again in the second. He took his foot off the scorer’s pedal in the second half, but by then, the damage was done. He finished with 26 points on 10/17 shooting, 4 assists, and a ludicrous 18 rebounds.

I mentioned earlier that he opened the game 3/3 from deep. He’d finish 4/5 on the night, bumping his 3pt% up to 49 on 5.9 attempts per game. That is not a typo.

Jamal Murray – A

Here’s a sentence I wouldn’t imagine typing just a season ago: Jamal Murray led all scorers with a quiet 27 points. He’s wont to lead any particular game in the category, but so often those big nights look the same — he just got hot. Murray swapped the “thermonuclear” adjective for “methodical” Saturday night, pulling the right strings at the correct times. Of course, it wouldn’t be an “A” night from Murray without an “A” highlight. He delivered in the fourth when he took Kawhi dancing in clutch time.

Murray had Kawhi on skates. 👀🔥 pic.twitter.com/VriGUQJraU

— House of Highlights (@HoHighlights) September 6, 2020

Jerami Grant – A-

By now, you know I love scoring, and I’m reluctant to heap too much praise in the Honor Roll section on a player that didn’t contribute much on offense. But Grant left me no choice. We’ve already touched on the job he did with Kawhi, and he also pulled out some big-time help defense down the stretch. He blocked three shots in the final nine minutes, and I hardly believe my eyes, but it appears he corraled seven rebounds as well.

Gary Harris – A-

Is this grade a stretch? Absolutely. But the grades are made up, and I’m in charge.

We know what Harris provides on defense. If he’s also the leading scorer on either team in the fourth quarter? Oh, baby. What a treat.

The Class

Paul Millsap – B+

Dad’s home! And he brought gifts. After a miserable opening series and a tough first quarter against the Clippers, conversations began on alternative starting lineups. Millsap does look slower, even less explosive, and frankly, washed out there at times. But he’s scraping what utility is left from the bottom of the barrel in this series. Millsap knocked down a couple of timely threes, good for six of his 13 points on the night, and grabbed four offensive rebounds as well. He looked closer to his usual self on the defensive end too. After getting cooked by Marcus Morris in the first quarter of Game 2, he’s settling in.

Michael Porter Jr. – B 

There’s a chance we look back at these playoffs as both the catalyst and an essential event in the brightest timeline of Porter Jr.’s development. We know he’ll be one of the best scorers in the league one day, and for now, the lions share of the attention is fixed on his defense. He made significant improvements from the first four games to the final three of round one.

In a series that suits him better on that end, with an opponent that’s less keen on breaking down the defense via the high pick-and-roll, he’s looked solid so far against the Clippers. The real-time decision making is far behind the curve, but MPJ possesses the length and athleticism to make an impact when in the right spot.

Monte Morris – B-

In Monte We Trust. 10 points in 17 minutes on 4/9 from the field.

Principal’s Office

Mason Plumlee – D 

Please stop fouling people.