Grades: Denver Nuggets do away with Indiana Pacers at home

The Denver Nuggets hosted the Indiana Pacers in Ball Arena Monday night, and the latter had a hard time getting into the city. The Pacers didn’t arrive until around 2:00 pm MT — a quick turnaround for the rescheduled tip time of 8:00 pm. The Nuggets had the rest advantage and pulled away from a back-and-forth contest with a dominant fourth quarter.

Jamal Murray rebounded, Michael Porter Jr. played the Pacers well again, and the bench took care of business.

Let’s go to the grades:

Nikola Jokić – A-

After the game, Jokić told Katy Winge that he didn’t shoot very well, but he just wanted to stay aggressive. While it’s true he didn’t shoot well (11/25) he still undersold his performance. Jokić scored 11 points in the fourth quarter on 4/5 shooting. The cherry on top of his 32 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals. Myles Turner played him well for three quarters — as well as anyone’s played him all season — but it wasn’t enough.

Jamal Murray – B+

Before the game, Michael Malone spoke of challenging Murray to make a winning impact even on nights when he isn’t scoring. Murray shot much better, yet still scored a modest 16 points. He made up for it with six rebounds, eight assists, and just two turnovers in 36:10 on the court.

After the game, he spoke candidly about taking time away from basketball over the All-Star break:

“I didn’t touch the ball for the break. Mentally, I just didn’t want to touch the ball for the break. And I came back the first two games and I wasn’t ready to play, and I just had to get my groove back,” Murray said. “I changed up my routine today. I just said I needed to change something. And I got treatment later. I lifted a little early. I was on time for (pregame) shooting this time. Good mood. Took off my Beats and was joking around with everybody.”

Michael Porter Jr. – B+

Porter took an ill-advised jumper as he looked off an open Jokić in the third quarter. It followed some defensive lowlights, and Michael Malone opted for a quick hook. That was the nadir for Porter, who spent the rest of the night playing well as he’s now wont to do against this Pacers squad. He finished with 20 points and 8 rebounds. Despite shooting 0/4 from deep, he shot 9/15 from the floor overall. He played hard from the jump.

Will Barton – B-

Barton knocked down his first four shots and scored Denver’s first eight points. Then he couldn’t buy a bucket. His electric start quickly devolved into a teetering performance. He collected himself and finished strong. All told, Barton scored an inefficient 20 points and contributed in other ways. He finished with six rebounds and five assists while also playing much better on defense than we’ve come to expect this season.

Paul Millsap – C

Malone started Millsap at Power Forward again, and once again, the Porter – Millsap pairing did not work with the starters. The four-time All-Star shot 3/7 from the field, scored only six points and recorded five personal fouls. He struggled mightily until the fourth. Millsap played some backup center in Hartenstein’s stead in the second half and looked comfortable there. He scored four points, grabbed three rebounds, and recorded an assist on 2/2 from the field in the final frame.

PJ Dozier – B+

Dozier started this game off on the wrong foot but pulled it together in time to contribute to an excellent performance from the second unit. He finished 3/5 from the floor on his way to nine points, four rebounds, and three assists. He showed his most value however on defense. He and Facundo Campazzo were disruptive terrors alongside each other and propelled the Nuggets back into blowout territory.

Facundo Campazzo – B+

This is as good a game as you’ll see from someone who failed to score. Campazzo only shot three times and didn’t knock any down. But he did record six assists, four of which came in the fourth quarter, when he changed the game with his two steals and relentless defense. There are sparks off the bench, and then there’s what Facu provided Monday night.

JaMychal Green – B+

Green returned to form with an efficient 16 points. He shot 6/10 from the floor, 4/6 from deep, and played some stellar defense on Indiana’s bigs.

Isaiah Hartenstein – N/A

Hartenstein did play four minutes in the first half, and he was fine, but the backup center minutes went to Millsap from there.

Markus Howard / Greg Whittington / Zeke Nnaji / Vlatko Cancar / Bol Bol – Played

The clean up crew took the court together for the final 1:29 — the sign of a comfortable win.