DNVR Player Grades: sticking to the script

It was somewhat of a predictable bounce back performance.

After an embarrassing loss Saturday at home to the lowly Cavs, the Nuggets looked like a different team 24 hours later against the playoff-bound Clippers. Denver hit its 3s, the Nuggets out-rebounded their opponent, and their defense locked in for key stretches across the second half. It resulted in a 114-104 win over a Paul George-less Clippers team that the Nuggets could see in the playoffs.

The Nuggets used a strong second quarter to initially pull away from the Clippers, outscoring Kawhi Leonard’s bunch 37-22 in the period to take 14-point lead into the half. The Nuggets maintained a double-digit advantage for most of the second half until the Clippers cut Denver’s lead to six with under two minutes remaining. But the Nuggets stayed composed. Patrick Beverley fouled out, Doc Rivers got kicked out, and Denver held on for its 27th win of the season.

Let’s hit the grades.

Honor Roll

Nikola Jokic – A

Jokic could have had closer to 30 points Sunday but didn’t have his typical touch and feel around the basket. He shot just 3 of 10 from two-point range but knocked in three of his four attempts from 3 for 20 points and led the Nuggets in scoring. Jokic also hauled in 15 rebounds, an important development considering how poorly the Nuggets have rebounded as of late, and handed out six assists. Jokic is shooting 42.2% from 3 since Dec. 1, and the threat of his three-point shot has revived the Nuggets’ attack which is the second-best in the league since that date.

Jerami Grant – A

If this stretch without Paul Millsap is Grant’s dress rehearsal for next season when the summer acquisition could join the Nuggets’ starting lineup, he’s fared pretty well. Like Grant showed against Luka Doncic and the Mavericks last week, his defensive versatility and length will continue to be a key intangible for Denver going forward. The Nuggets started Sunday’s matchup with Will Barton checking Leonard but quickly moved Grant onto the Finals MVP, and Leonard still finished with 30 points on 12 of 25 shooting but Grant bothered him. According to NBA.com’s tracking data, Leonard shot just 2 of 9 from the floor with Grant as his closest defender. That’s an important takeaway to keep in mind when looking ahead to the playoffs in April.

Monte Morris – A

Is Morris back? He’s averaging 11.5 points (55.6 FG%, 45.5 3P%) and four assists in his last four games, and looks like the backup point guard from last season’s 54-win team again. Morris captained a bench unit that had one of its better nights of the year against the Clippers and hooked up with Mason Plumlee on a number of possessions.

Gary Harris – A-

Harris didn’t play in the fourth and Michael Malone revealed after the game that Denver’s starting shooting guard is suffering from groin soreness, but in his 24 minutes Harris made a big impact. He tallied 15 points (all in the first half) and knocked in two of his five attempts from 3, a needed development for a Nuggets’ starting five that currently lacks consistent three-point threats outside of Jokic.

Michael Porter Jr. – A-

The Nuggets called the rookie’s number on a couple possessions in a row in the first half and it resulted in seven-straight points for Porter in the second quarter. On two of his buckets, Denver ran an action that got the smaller Lou Williams switched onto the 6-foot-10 Porter and let the forward go to work. He hit a mid-range jumper over Williams and then stepped back behind a Plumlee screen for a 3 a couple of possessions later. In between the two jumpers he barreled his way to a coast-to-coast layup. He finished with 13 points on 6 of 8 shooting. The talent always jumps off the screen when watching Porter. This was a nice bounce-back performance from him after a couple shaky outings.

On Porter’s first basket of the night, watch how he gets to his spot and attacks Williams before the double team arrives.

The Class

Torrey Craig – B+

Craig chipped in defensively on Leonard and also teamed with the rest of the Nuggets’ second unit to post one of the bench’s stronger performances of the season. Craig shot 4 of 6 from the field and sunk one three-pointer for 11 points and five rebounds.

Jamal Murray – B

Murray gets credit for gutting out this performance (19 points on 4-12 shooting, 10-11 from the free-throw line) with a sore lower back. He didn’t have much explosion Sunday so Murray got to the line early and often. That was an important team-wide development for the Nuggets too. Denver shot 37 free-throws in the win, its second-highest total of the season.

Will Barton – B-

Barton had a poor shooting night (2 of 9 from the field) but didn’t let it affect the rest of his play. He recognized it wasn’t his night early so he differed.