Grades: Denver Nuggets lose to Sacramento Kings again

The Denver Nuggets couldn’t stop a nosebleed Tuesday night, and with their second-best player on the bench — Jamal Murray (elbow contusion) — they dropped the second half of a back-to-back to the Sacramento Kings. Jokić looked great before he looked gas, Michael Porter Jr. looked lost before he looked great, and the second unit sputtered again.

To the grades we go:

Nikola Jokić – B+

Jokić picked up where he left off in the first half, dominating as a playmaker and dragging a disjointed Nuggets team through a competitive game. He hit a wall in the second half, looking gassed in the fourth quarter and finishing the game with ten total turnovers. He had a rough night on the defensive end as well. Stare at a lamp, then close your eyes, and you might see the faint impression of Richaun Holmes nailing a floater burnt into the back of your eyelids. It happened all night, although to be fair, Jokić spent much of the night on his heels scrambling to defend a 2-on-1. The point of attack defense was woeful, and Jokić isn’t much a rim protector, to begin with. I thought he looked very good for most of the game but ran on fumes by night’s end.

Michael Porter Jr. – A-

A bit of a Rorschach test performance from Porter. Depending on how you felt about him coming into the game, you might have two completely different opinions on his night. It’s true that in the first half, he looked so lost and so out of place his 13 points barely stood out. It’s also true that he collected himself, dialed in on the defensive end, and paired up with Jokić to bring Denver right back into it in the third quarter. I’m more focused on the second half. He buckled down and turned in a winning effort. By the way, isn’t this a nit-picky paragraph about a guy who dropped 30 and 10 on 12/18 from the floor? Expectations take on a life of their own.

Monte Morris – B+

Morris was sensational on one end of the court and a liability on the other. De’Aaron Fox is a tough assignment for most guards, but Morris and Facundo Campazzo took turns getting dusted. It’s a shame for Monte, who finished with 24 points, 4 assists, and 2 steals on 10/15 from the floor. I wish we could focus entirely on that.

Paul Millsap – D

Have I finally learned my lesson? Will I stop declaring Millsap not-washed after every decent performance? No. I’m stubborn and thick-skulled. He was terrible, though.

Gary Harris – C+ 

I thought Harris took the right approach to this game. The shots just didn’t fall. His 1/5 performance from deep is a real splinter in his night. If he hits one more of those, we might feel differently about his impact. Speaking of impact, we all know Harris makes his on the defensive side of the ball. I found it odd he wasn’t asked to try and slow down Fox. Malone appears committed to having guys guard their position so far.

Will Barton – C

Barton’s not gelling with that second unit the way many envisioned, myself included. It still feels like whatever he’s doing, or wants to do, is somehow separate from the other four guys who share the court. He looked lacking in confidence Tuesday night as well.

Facundo Campazzo – D+/C-

Campazzo showed some brief flashes of a positive impact as the lead guard with the second unit, though ultimately, he underwhelmed again. The Campazzo signing sticks out like a sore thumb at the moment. With Jerami Grant and Torrey Craig out the door, finding another body to defend on the wing seemed paramount, but they added yet another point guard, who only got the chance to play point guard because Murray is injured. We may feel differently about this as JaMychal Green returns and if the bench finds its form. But at the moment, folks are justified if they find themselves wondering, what exactly is the plan here?

PJ Dozier – B-

Dozier was competent in a small role Tuesday night. In 16:42 of action, he knocked down two 3s and three of his four field-goal attempts while grabbing four rebounds and picking up two blocks.

Isaiah Hartenstein – C-

That was a rough game for Hartenstein, who seems not to have earned Michael Malone’s trust just yet. He played in fewer than 10 minutes again, and this time struggled to put his fingerprints on anything Denver was doing well.

Bol Bol – D

This should probably be an F, but he only played 3:43. There’s a reason everyone is excited about Bol, and it’s for good reason in my opinion — but let’s call it like we see it: Bol is not an NBA-caliber player at the moment. There seems to be a big difference between the guy we hear about in practice and the guy on the court during games.