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Grades: Denver Nuggets avoid disaster against New Orleans Pelicans

Brendan Vogt Avatar
April 29, 2021

The Denver Nuggets closed the door tight on the New Orleans Pelicans Wednesday night. All they had to do was walk away. Inexplicably, they turned around and kicked the thing wide open again. The Pelicans closed the game on a 16-5 run after the Nuggets led by 13 with 3:18 remaining. As the Nuggets struggled to clear the lowest of bars in inbounding — a touchy subject around here — the Pelicans turned into the Dream Team.

A series of chaotic and unfortunate events culminated when Nikola Jokić threw the ball away with 9.9 seconds remaining. The Pelicans took possession down two. The ball found Brandon Ingram, who drove and found Zion Williamson in the dunker spot, but Jokić cleaned up his mess with a block from behind. The replay revealed a lot of contact, and Pelicans fans are entitled to complaints, but stars get calls, and Jokić made a play.

To the grades:

Nikola Jokić – A

Jokić painted a work of art, which he accidentally lit on fire, only to put it out himself and find the charred remains a slight improvement on the original. The noted defensive sieve finished with three steals and three blocks, including a game-winning play against one of the most devastating interior threats on the planet.

Jokić scored 16 of his 32 points in the third quarter, seemingly all coming via one-on-one looks against Willy Hermangomez. If Jokić considers Juancho’s brother a family friend, he hid it effectively Wednesday night. He put poor Willy in the torture chamber.

As for the six turnovers and late-game slippage, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone cited fatigue.

“Nikola, when does he ever make plays like that? This guy, I think, is second in the NBA in minutes played. I think he’s mentally and physically exhausted.”

Michael Porter Jr. – B+

Porter finished with 28 points and 8 rebounds on 12/21 shooting. That’s an impressive box score and indeed comprises the offensive boost his team needed. It wasn’t Porter’s best game in recent memory, though. He wilted on one too many screens while chasing Ingram. He also jacked up an extremely ill-advised three early in the shot clock during the meltdown mentioned above — an airball. If you want to nitpick, Porter gave you plenty of ammunition, but he did his job at the end of the day. He’s on the floor to score, and he scored 11 points on 5/8 shooting in the final frame.

The genuine concern is his health. He appeared to roll his ankle in the second half and fell to the ground for a seeming eternity. What’s left of the Nuggets’ season hung in the balance, but eventually, he got up, walked it off, and stayed in the game.

Will Porter play in the back-to-back tomorrow night? Should he? That’s what matters most with the ‘W’ secured.

Aaron Gordon – B-

Gordon got hot early, then cooled off entirely. He finished 4/7 from the field and should get some credit for containing himself after the strong start. It would be a stretch to say Gordon held Zion in check, but he looked less comfortable than he usually does against the Nuggets. That’s the idea.

PJ Dozier – C+

Dozier’s coming back to earth since setting a career-high in his first start. He was a non-factor on offense.

Facundo Campazzo – A-

Campazzo collected his first NBA double-double with 19 points and 10 assists. He knocked down three 3s on his way to 15 points in the fourth quarter. He shot 4/6 from the floor during that stretch, and grabbed four rebounds, and recorded three assists to boot. He was a pest on defense and clutch on the other end. You can call him Facu.

Austin Rivers – D

The Nuggets ran just nine deep Wednesday night, and Rivers led all players off the bench with 26:28 on the court. He was the only Nugget who failed to score. He avoids the dreaded F thanks to two assists and four steals.

Shaq Harrison – B

Harrison played just under 10 minutes, stole the ball twice, and shot 2/4 from the floor. That’s a welcome contribution in limited minutes.

Paul Millsap – B

Millsap finished an and-one alley-oop despite serious contact. He got decked but roofed James Johnson and drained the free throw. He also grabbed five rebounds, recorded two assists, stole the ball twice, and even blocked Zion. Quality minutes from Millsap.

JaVale McGee – C

McGee got the nod over JaMychal Green this time. He blocked two shots, but ultimately his weren’t great minutes. He shot 1/5 from the floor.

Game Notes:

Jokić is the first Nuggets player with a 30/5/5/3/3 game since Alex English in 1984, per StateMuse.

 

 

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