Grades: Denver Nuggets stifle Clippers in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Clippers series is when Jerami Grant earned his money. He wasn’t the answer in the opening round against Utah and underwhelmed in the regular season, but the great defense on Kawhi Leonard changed his basketball life. The Denver Nuggets took their ‘Earned’ jerseys into Staples Center Thursday night, hoping to learn how new acquisition Aaron Gordon would fare in the same position. The Nuggets led wire to wire in the 101-94 win.

Michael Porter Jr. dazzled again, Jamal Murray buried the daggers, and Mr. 50 locked Kawhi up.

Let’s go to the grades:

Nikola Jokić – B-

For the fifth time this season, the MVP frontrunner finished a game with zero free throw attempts. It’s inexplicable, and it’s starting to get to Jokić. Justified or not, the best player on the floor began to drift into an individual matchup with the officials again. The Clippers sent multiple bodies and got physical with him. They mauled him really, but as Jokić protested, the crew swallowed their whistles further. He began to miss some bunnies around the rim and nearly pulled himself out of the game.

Let’s move to the positives. Armed with four viable targets, Jokić quarterbacked a great game. The Nuggets assisted on 28 of 39 field goals as the ball popped and bodies moved. Jokić and Gordon have already developed devastating chemistry, and it was on full display Thursday night. Jokić got his chance for an MVP moment in the end too. With around 5:30 remaining, and TNT’s Reggie Miller challenging the MVP candidate to step up, Jokić stepped into and drilled a three from the right-wing to push the lead back up to six.

Jamal Murray – A-

Murray finished the game with an efficient 23 points and an impressive 8 rebounds. With Gordon on the roster, the Nuggets appear more willing to switch. They’re not switching everything like Houston teams of the past, but we did see plenty of Murray guarding bigger LA players. He did a good job — his post-defense remains underrated. Murray also buried the daggers in the final frame. While he shot only 3/8 from the field, he scored a team-high 8 points, including one ridiculous step-back three to slam the door shut with two minutes remaining. I’d wager the Clippers have grown tired of this young man.

Michael Porter Jr. – A-

It was another ruthlessly efficient night from Porter. He only needed 11 shots to score his 20 points and led the Nuggets with five made free throws (5 for 5). He corralled two offensive rebounds, too, one of which might have been the most critical play of the game. Denver was bleeding late. With roughly six minutes remaining, the Nuggets had only scored 3 points in their last 7:45. The game was slipping through their fingers, but Porter cleaned up Gordon’s miss, and the Nuggets finally got their breath back. He turned in an excellent game defensively, too, looking a legitimate rim protector behind a revamped defense.

Aaron Gordon – A

That was the big test. Can Aaron Gordon guard the elite wings of the Western Conference? The answer is a resounding yes. Gordon locked Leonard up, eagerly embracing the challenge. Leonard is impossibly strong and leverages that strength to create small windows. He’s not trying to lose a defender with a flurry of dribble moves like James Harden. Instead, he gets to his spots, creates just enough space, and dots one in your eye. But Gordon is strong too. Leonard looked almost surprised as he failed to create separation from the Panther-like specimen. Gordon moves differently from his peers. He stands out physically. With a newfound commitment, it now seems possible one of the league’s best defenders was lying dormant in Orlando for years.

He contributed in other ways too. Gordon finished with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. He’s a great cutter, a better rebounder than his predecessor in Grant, and a better passer than credited. The Denver Nuggets look tough to beat right now.

Will Barton III – B+

If you’re worried about the shot attempts, Barton took the third most among the starters and just one more than Gordon. If you felt that brutal third-quarter stretch ruined his night, consider that he still shot 50% from the field and 50% from deep. Barton finished with 19 points and 4 assists too. He won’t play like that every night, but good luck guarding this group when he does.

Facundo Campazzo – C

It was a loud night for Campazzo. He couldn’t guard anyone on that Clippers team — the size was overwhelming — but he knocked down a big shot, grabbed four rebounds, and dished out five assists. Ultimately, the bench didn’t play well again. They lack not just scorers but also spacing, and Facu helps in neither department.

PJ Dozier – C-

It’s starting to seem like what Dozier hopes to accomplish on the floor is diverging from the team perspective. He looks like a separate piece at the moment. A total wild card — pressing buttons and pulling on levers, hoping something will work.

Paul Millsap – C

Millsap scored, assisted, and grabbed some rebounds in his roughly 13 minutes played. It didn’t add up to much, though.

JaMychal Green – C-

Green did almost none of those things in his roughly 10 minutes played. It didn’t add up to much either.

Game Notes: At the risk of setting off another false alarm, it does appear Monte Morris is expected to return Sunday with the Orlando Magic in town. Of course, that will also mark the return of former Nuggets RJ Hampton and Gary Harris.