DNVR Players Grades: Denver Nuggets take their first L

No one would take a mulligan on a 3-0 start, but those who watched the Nuggets closely through three games knew they had a loss coming. That materialized Tuesday night when the Nuggets let a game slip away from them, falling to the Dallas Mavericks 109-106 on their home court.

The vaunted bench struggled mightily, and Denver’s starters showed a lack of urgency down the stretch. Time to hand out some disappointing report cards:

Honor Roll

Will Barton – A-

Will Barton was the second-highest scorer in a Nuggets uniform Tuesday night, finishing with 19 points on an efficient 8-for-16 from the floor, and knocking down two of his three attempts from behind the arc. Barton’s slid into the starting lineup nicely this season, focusing on filling in the cracks of the rotation by putting a strong emphasis on rebounding and defense. He led the team with 11 rebounds in the loss, including four on the offensive end.

Paul Millsap – A-

There was no hero for Denver last night, but Millsap came close to filling the role. He was the best offensive player in the starting lineup, scoring 23 points on 9-for-17 from the field and 4-for-7 from deep. He hit timely threes, rebounded well, and turned back the clock with a monster put-back jam late in the fourth. We usually point to Millsap’s ability to help a team win despite not filling up the box score. That script was flipped in the loss.

The Class

Gary Harris – B 

Gary Harris turned in another stellar defensive performance serving as the primary defender on Luka Doncic, who finished with just 12 points and four turnovers on 3-for-12 shooting. Harris added 16 points as well, hitting four of his 10 three-point attempts while adding five rebounds.

Jamal Murray – C+

Jamal Murray wasn’t the culprit in this loss. He didn’t turn the ball over, he hit over half of his shots, and he grabbed six rebounds as well. But for the third time in four games, Murray was, frankly, underwhelming given his sky-high ceiling and what this team needs from him. Murray failed to hit a three-pointer on the night, only tallied one assist, and simply didn’t leave his fingerprints on a game that needed his touch. He struggled on the defensive end as well, as Denver allowed Dallas to blow right by them one on too many occasions.

Principal’s Office

Nikola Jokic – C-/D+

Nikola Jokic hit half of his shots, recorded another triple-double, and was tied for the team-high in +/- with +15, but most Nuggets fans would probably agree he played a poor game. He seemingly couldn’t be bothered, as he favored moping over transition defense, passing over dominating a mismatch, and isolation over camaraderie in the huddles. It’s too early to be concerned, but the most room for improvement in Jokic’s game lies in leading by example and showing some thicker skin.

Malik Beasley – D+

Beasley did score seven points, which is more than the next two bench players who will join him in the office can say, but he played a horrendous game on the defensive end. Beasley allowed blow-bys, was caught ball watching and picked up five personal fouls in just 14 minutes–more than one committed against a shooter.

Jerami Grant – D+

Jerami Grant finished with zero points in 16 minutes. He missed all four of his three-point attempts, only grabbed three rebounds, and finished the night with a +/- of -18–tied for worst on the team. The second unit had nothing in the tank Tuesday night, and Grant was no exception.

Torrey Craig – D+

Craig was on the floor for just 11 minutes, but he only managed one shot attempt in that time and collected just one rebound. Craig has never been inserted into an NBA lineup for his offensive abilities, but he was torched on the defensive end in this loss as well. If Craig’s not defending a high-volume scorer at a high-level, his value is significantly diminished. We saw that on Tuesday night.