Grades: Denver Nuggets rally for seventh straight win after Malone ejection

The Denver Nuggets wrapped up a home back-to-back with the San Antonio Spurs in town Wednesday night. Denver plodded their way through another first quarter but rallied in the second quarter after head coach Michael Malone’s ejection. After yet another no-call for Nikola Jokić, Malone stormed onto the court, stopping a Spurs fast break, and berated the nearest official.

Malone drew a double-technical and immediate ejection with 5:32 remaining in the first half. Denver turned on the jets from there and took a slight lead into halftime. They weathered an early third-quarter storm with Wes Unseld Jr. at the helm then rallied again and never looked back. Final Score: 106-96

Let’s go to the grades:

Nikola Jokić – A

Nikola Jokić took the blame for the turnovers after the win Wednesday night. Midway through reflection, it occurred to him he was the biggest culprit with six. But that’s ok, he added. “I’d rather me make mistakes than someone else.”

Anyone who watched Jokić play Wednesday night knows why that may be. You’ll live with the occasional high turnover count if his experimentation yields such results. He finished with 25 points, 10 assists, and 9 rebounds on 11/18 shooting. He was the best player on the floor yet again.

He was also at the center of the game’s peak drama. With a little under six minutes remaining Jokić drew contact from Jakob Poeltl but failed to draw a whistle. The Spurs grabbed the board and ran — a fast break opportunity gifted on a silver platter. But the play was stopped when an official blew his whistle. Suddenly, Malone was inches from his face offering some less than kind feedback. His staff had to hold him back after the official tossed him. The limited capacity crowd rose to their feet in appreciation.

The no call and Malone ejection:#MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/2CppwP90Nd

— RG 📷 (@RyanGreeneDNVR) April 8, 2021

“All I’ll say on that is that’s been brewing for a while,” said Malone after the game.

Michael Porter Jr. – B

Porter attacked the glass all night long but had a hole to climb out of after the first quarter. The Spurs went after him, and while his effort was there, the results were not. It was a rough start, but he collected himself and settled in.

He hit 7 of his 14 shots for 18 points and added 10 rebounds.

Aaron Gordon – B+

Gordon finished another reverse layup plus the foul after Jokić found him curling to the basket. It’s such a valuable move for him, springing up towards the rim without needing to reload or orient himself after the catch. He also caught a lob from Jokić out of another 5/4 pick-and-roll. Those two are so good together already. Toss in some strong defense, and you get a solid night despite an underwhelming box score. Gordon gets it.

Will Barton – C+

Barton couldn’t have finished a layup if the championship itself was up for grabs Wednesday night. He couldn’t get anything to go and finished 3/13 from the field. Now for the redeeming contributions — Barton hit all six of his free throws, grabbed four rebounds, dished out five assists, and helped the second unit blow the game open in the second half. He stole the ball twice too.

Facundo Campazzo – C+

Giving Facu a C+ for this game doesn’t feel quite right. Everything he did, good and bad, was loud. His first stint with the starters was terrible. He looked rough to start the third quarter too. But when he rotated back in with the bench early in the fourth quarter, he played great and helped bust things open.

After the game, a reporter asked facu to what extent Malone’s ejection energized the team.

“A lot,” Facu said with a big smile on his face. “I think that was contagious. We needed the extra energy. I think he’s a winner coach, and that showed up in this situation.”

PJ Dozier – B+

Malone shouted Dozier out by name at least twice in his post-game presser as he ran through the quality performance from the bench. Dozier played with tremendous energy on defense and while attacking the glass. He finished just 2/6 from the field and hit only 3/6 from the charity stripe. Those free throws would’ve gone a long way toward improving his box score, but he passed the eye test nonetheless.

Monte Morris – B-

Malone revealed the reasoning behind the decision to start Facu after the game. He explained that Morris is on a minute restriction and described a “choppy” rotation pattern for him under that limitation while alongside the starters. Malone moved him back to the bench and found success.

JaMychal Green – B

JaMychal, the high-flyer, stepped up and showed out Wednesday night. Green threw down three monster jams. The type I didn’t know he even had up his sleeve. He played well.

JaVale McGee – B+

The bench got another boost from McGee, who played in Millsap’s stead (rest). In just 13:46, he scored 7 points (3/6 from the field), grabbed 8 rebounds (3 OREB), and blocked a shot. His height gives the bench a new dimension, one they benefitted from against the Spurs.

Clean-Up Crew (Markus Howard, Gary Clark, Zeke Nnaji, Bol Bol, Vlatko Cancar)

The people of Ball Arena wanted Bol Bol. Wes Unseld Jr. gave the people what they wished for in garbage time. Bol blocked two shots. Markus Howard finally knocked down a jumper off the dribble, too. Light the victory cigars.

Game Notes:

This win marks Denver’s seventh straight, tied for the longest streak in the Jokić-era, and the 16th win in 19 tries for the Nuggets.

Jamal Murray missed a second game in as many nights with right knee soreness. The Millsap DNP was rest related. As noted above, Malone revealed Morris is on a minutes restriction.