DNVR Player Grades: the Denver Nuggets are taking on water

For a brief moment, it seemed that Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz wrote the perfect script to steal Game 1, only to lose anyway. But in Game 2, a 124-105 loss for the Denver Nuggets, the Jazz wrote something better. The Jazz found and exploited Denver’s biggest weakness, three-point defense, which has not improved from the seeding games to the postseason. There’s been a hull breach, and the Nuggets are taking on water fast.

Whatever mental edge Denver might have gained from the regular-season success in this matchup, and Utah getting a career-game from their best player but still losing in the series opener, it disappeared by the fourth quarter. Utah shot 45% from three on 44 attempts, and that percentage is weighed down by extended garbage time in the fourth. It was part-outlier shooting and part-execution of a troublesome gameplan. Denver can’t defend anyone right now.

The first-half featured a new approach to containing Mitchell. Denver mostly sent two the ball, hedging on screens, and forcing Mitchell to keep it moving. He obliged, and while Denver appeared to have cooled him off, the Jazz as a unit played healthier basketball. Two to the ball forced them to move the ball, and the Jazz racked up 32 assists—including 8 apiece from Mitchell and Royce O’Neale—shooting comfortably, in rhythm, and without much pressure all night.

On the other end of the court, Denver had no juice. The ball never popped, and the half-court offense featured a lot of standing and watching as Nikola Jokić challenged Rudy Gobert. Jokić had a solid first half, putting up 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists on 50% shooting. But Denver shot just 11 threes to Utah’s 21 in the first 24 minutes, making 5 to their 10, and trailing by 13 at the half.

The Nuggets wouldn’t get much closer. Forty third-quarter points from the Jazz put the game to bed, and what was left to play became about avoiding a historic loss. Mitchell finished with 30 points, Jordan Clarkson hung 26, Rudy Gobert scored 19, and Joe Ingles added 18 of his own. All four players shot 50% or better from the field — the star duo hitting at least 70%.

Head Coach Michael Malone has his work cut out for him. How will he adjust in Game 3? How will his players respond? The breach is staring them right in the face. The Nuggets must find a way to stay above water.

Let’s go to the grades.

Honor Roll

Nikola Jokić – A-

Jokić finished with 28, 11, and 6 in just over 30 minutes. He was relatively successful in his efforts against Gobert but unable to lift the entire offense into something formidable. Jokić has not been the best player in this series. He hasn’t necessarily outplayed Gobert either. And as Denver stands and watches him go to work, it’s clear his scoring won’t be enough. Where is Jokić-ball? Where is the ball movement? That doesn’t all fall on Jokić, but the lions share of responsibility typically falls on players of his caliber. He has to dominate, and nothing less. We’ve seen less through two games.

The Class

Michael Porter Jr. B-

MPJ led the Nuggets in minutes and tied Jokić for the team-high in scoring with 28. He shot 10-17 from the field and 6-9 from deep. It was a particularly encouraging performance on the offensive end — although a lot of came once, the game was far out of reach. On the defensive side, he struggled mightily, as anticipated coming into the series. While the paint was crowded and the Nuggets didn’t take a lot of threes outside of MPJ himself, he failed to make a significant impact on the glass as well.

Still, it’s crucial to see him come out and improve off of that Game 1 performance to this extent. The team’s defense, while desperately in need of improvement, is not likely to turn any big corners. The Nuggets will have to score to keep up. Porter is, of course, vital in that regard.

Monte Morris – B-

Morris finished with 10 points, 4 assists, and 0 turnovers on 50% from the field. There’s a stabilizing factor in his presence on the court. As my colleague, Harrison Wind, pointed out: there’s a distinct crispness that arises on both ends of the court when he takes the floor.

Jamal Murray – C- 

Back and forth, I went with this grade — would a trip to the principle’s office be too unfair? Murray finished with 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists on 46% shooting. It’s not a miserable performance, but it was a quiet one. Murray shot just 2 threes, struggled to penetrate, and couldn’t make a significant impact near the rim. He spent a lot of his time guarded by O’Neale, who is too quick for Murray to blow by and too long for him to shoot over comfortably. As Mitchell dominates this series, Murray has to find a way to put more pressure on the defense. At the moment, the gameplan for Murray appears to be: let O’Neale handle him. That can’t be the case for an on-ball scorer of his caliber.

Principle’s Office

Jerami Grant – D+

It would be easier to consider a change to the starting unit if Grant looked better than he did in Game 2. Denver needs more from the power forwards.

Paul Millsap – D

I am running out of faith in my second favorite Dad.

Torrey Craig – F

Craig played in nearly 28 minutes. He scored 0 points and recorded more personal fouls than field goals attempted, assists dished out, and rebounds grabbed.