Grades: Denver Nuggets Take Care of Business in Los Angeles

Nikola Jokić – A

Something looked a little off with Nikola Jokić in the first quarter. He scored an efficient 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds, but he turned it over five times in his first 8:30 on the floor. Jokić has struggled against the Dwight Howard/Anthony Davis pairing. It’s not just that he looks less dominant, he can also look less confident, and that seemed to be in play during his first stint. That helped make his ensuing minutes so much fun. The Lakers are terrible, but that pairing provides plenty of defensive firepower, and Jokić dropped 38-18-6-3-2. He’s as likely as ever to take home back-to-back MVP awards, and more importantly, the Denver Nuggets took another step toward avoiding the play-in.

Aaron Gordon – A-

Formidable foes lurked in the paint, so Gordon got some work in from outside the arc, too. He knocked down three 3s on his way to 24 points and did damage inside when staggered with the bench unit. He brought it from start to finish, and his hot hand kept Denver within striking distance before they finally dropped a haymaker. Denver needed it badly this time around, especially considering Jeff Green’s absence and JaMychal Green’s foul trouble.

Will Barton – A-

No one needed a bounce-back game more than Will Barton, and he got one on national TV. It just took a while. He looked shook in the first quarter, confidence escaping like gas from faulty pipework. He failed to fill a column in the box score outside of shot attempts in his first 10:37.

It was now (then?) or never for Thrill, and with his back against the wall, he found something. Barton knocked down a three late in the second quarter, then drew an extremely unwise foul as he hoisted a prayer from deep to end the half. He knocked down all three from the stripe, waking him up. Barton shot 6 of 7 from the field and 5 of 6 from three-point range to close the game. He even got some stops. Now, he must string quality performances together to finish the season. His teammates need it.

Monte Morris – C+

Morris struggled from the field, and though it goes without saying at this point, he and Barton couldn’t stay in front of anyone. Morris salvaged some utility from the near-disaster, though. He stole a transition pass in the fourth quarter, then stripped Malik Monk to start a fastbreak of his own. He also posted ten assists to one turnover—the Fullest Monte. 

JaMychal Green – D+

Green drew the Anthony Davis assignment and found himself in foul trouble predictably. Green is an aggressive defender willing to foul as a player used to coming off the bench. He’s also a bit mistake-prone in that regard. That dynamic reared its head and put the Nuggets in a tough spot, but Aaron Gordon had the juice.

Boogie Cousins – A-

Speaking of bounce-back games, Cousins responded with 14-3-3 in 15 minutes off the bench. He was a bully in the paint, where he scored five of his six field goals. Poor Wenyen Gabriel (6’9″ 205 lb) was on the wrong end of all five.

Bones Hyland – B-

Hyland didn’t have his touch from deep against the Lakers. But he stuck with it, got a couple of layups, and logged four assists. The bench had a good showing.

Davon Reed – B+

We can officially declare this Davon Reed’s matchup. He endeared himself to the Nuggets faithful by shutting LeBron James down in an electric stint months ago. He played well on that end again, which Jokić made sure to point out in his presser. Reed also stepped into two big 3s to help the bench get it done in LA.

Austin Rivers – C-

Rivers took but one shot. He missed it. He didn’t factor much into the result, but all is well that ends well, and this one ended well for the second unit.