Grades: Denver Nuggets Outlast Hornets in Charlotte

Nikola Jokić – A

Nikola Jokić left four points at the free-throw line. He also got off to a slow start, shooting 2 of 6 from the field and scoring only six points in the first half. Something seemed off. Anyway, he finished with 26, 19, and 11 on 9 of 17 from the field. He is incredible. He is inevitable.

The Nuggets won this game in the third, a quarter they won by 10, thanks to Jokić’s brilliance. He dropped 11, 5, and 4 in 9:31 played out of the half. He was perfect from the field. Jokić attacked Mason Plumlee late in the fourth with mixed results. He shot 2 of 6 from the floor in the final quarter but got to the line seven times and knocked down five of them, enough to fend off the Hornets.

Jokić is getting to the line with ease lately. We may never be delighted with his whistle, but it’s changing.

Aaron Gordon – A-

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Jokić drew a lot of attention from the defense. AG filled the voided space as a cutter and put his head down, and attacked the rim when on-ball. The results were magnificent. AG scored 17 points on 7 of 11 shooting in the first 10 minutes of action. He slowed from there as a scorer, but he still put together a fantastic all-around game. Of his seven rebounds, five came on offense. AG’s trending back up, and the timing is welcome.

Jeff Green – B

Malone opted to close with Austin Rivers over Green, probably the right call as Green began to run out of gas. He knocked down a couple of big corner 3s while on the floor and fought for four rebounds. I’m kidding—two of those bounced right to him. But four isn’t bad on the Green/Grant scale.

Will Barton – B-

Barton’s three turnovers were loud, and his last, in which he literally almost threw the game away for Denver, still reverberates in the eardrums. Still, he filled his role better than the loud mistakes would indicate. He was open all night, and after a slow start, he worked his way to 4 of 10 from deep. He was also a big part of that third quarter in which Denver built their cushion, posting 9 points and 3 assists to aid Jokić.

Monte Morris – A-

Morris went Full Monte with nine assists to one turnover. He was a near-flawless complementary piece on offense, posing a catch-and-shoot threat, manipulating Jokić’s gravity to find open space for his floater, and catching the defense sleeping with timely cuts. The starters rolled.

Bones Hyland – C

The bench struggled without a second big. Both JaMychal Green and Zeke Nnaji couldn’t play, leaving Denver with funky second unit configurations that did not yield desired results. Bones suffered from the shakeup, appearing almost tentative as he navigated the discrepancy.

Austin Rivers – B

Rivers closed over Green, representing the only hope for Denver’s perimeter defense. He’s become the new Millsap for box score prowlers. You might never understand the high marks if you don’t see him grinding away on defense. By the way, per NBA.com, Morris-Rivers-Barton-Gordon-Jokić has logged 90 minutes across 15 games. They’re boasting a net rating of +27.7.

DeMarcus Cousins – C+

Cousins posted an F in the first half and an A in his second-half minutes. Does that come out as a C+? I don’t know how this works. Ironically, I did not pay much attention in school.

Bryn Forbes – Benched

Malone benched Forbes after a dreadful first half. If he can’t buy a shot, he can’t purchase utility. That’s where the bread is buttered, and it’s been dry lately. He’s sliding outside the circle of trust and potentially the postseason rotation.

Game Notes: Nuggets set a franchise record with their 23rd road win. They’re now three wins away from clearing their preseason wins total (47.5) again.