Grades: Denver Nuggets Salvage Win in Indiana

March 31, 2022

Nikola Jokić – A

Briefly in the first half, when we were all still young and full of innocence, Jokić flirted with his own fastest triple-double record. Indiana couldn’t contain him, he was heavily involved in virtually every possession, and the Nuggets jumped out to a 31-point lead. Somehow, someway, the Nuggets were in survival mode by the end of the night, and Jokić never did get that triple-double.

With the wheels falling off, Jokić and Bones Hyland sprang into action. The former posted 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists in the fourth quarter to help contain the chaos and stuff the Pacers back into the body bag. Seven turnovers prevent an A+ here, as does his role in the disastrous third quarter. We’ll call it a near-masterpiece from the reigning MVP, who posted 37-13-9-2-1 on 15 of 19 from the field.

Will Barton – B

Barton’s contested rebounding ability is plummeting, and that reared its head in this game. Neither Barton nor Monte Morris could get a body on someone, which became particularly important since Jeff Green wasn’t that interested in doing his part on the glass. Barton played well, though, helping build the early lead with a 10 point first quarter on 4 of 6 shooting. His rebounding and defense left plenty to desire, but he took the right approach on the other end and finished with 18 points and 5 assists on 8 of 13 from the field.

Aaron Gordon – C+

Gordon lost focus in this one. He was dreadful defensively, made bizarre choices with the ball in his hand, and was MIA coming out of halftime. However, he was active on the glass in the fourth quarter and sunk a big-time 3 to push the game out of reach.

Monte Morris – C+

Morris posted a 4:2 assist/TOV ratio—The Not Monte—and didn’t help much with the perimeter defense or rebounding problems. He did knock down five of his seven shots, though.

Jeff Green – F

Green played horribly. He was inefficient on offense, out to lunch on defense, disinterested in rebounding, and wondering if he left the stove on at home while others fought for loose balls.

Bones Hyland – A+

That might be the most Bones has impressed me in his nascent career. During a collapse in which no one besides Jokić could be bothered to care, Hyland approached the fourth quarter like it was a playoff game. He scored 13 points in the final 12 minutes as he played Robin to the best player in the league’s Batman. It wasn’t just how effective Bones was. It was how hard he played—the fiery look of determination on his face. We begged for anyone to come in and stop the bleeding. The rookie obliged. He’s got the juice.

Boogie Cousins – B

The bench struggled, but Boogie was effective enough. He overwhelmed Indiana with his size, grabbing 5 rebounds in under 13 minutes and scoring 11 points on 5 of 6 shooting.

Austin Rivers – Ejected and Sent to Maximum Security Prison

Austin Rivers got into it with legendary instigator Lance Stephenson and earned a technical. A few minutes later, with the ball in his hands, Rivers faked an elbow—at least, that’s how Tony Brothers saw it. One can argue Rivers made a basketball move, and Stephenson sold it. One can’t argue that Rivers made any contact. Rivers never touched him, yet was still called for his second technical subsequently ejected.

Austin Rivers got ejected for 'throwing an elbow' in Lance Stephenson's face. Upon replay, Rivers didn't hit Stephenson.

Good or bad call on this ejection? 🤔https://t.co/iq7kCVojq6

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 31, 2022