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Grades: Facundo Campazzo Leads Denver Nuggets in Blowout

Brendan Vogt Avatar
January 2, 2022

Facundo Campazzo – A+

The hardship Nuggets took on a shorthanded Houston Rockets team with issues bubbling just underneath the surface. By halftime, Facu incited eruption. Per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, neither Christian Wood nor Kevin Porter Jr. checked into the second half, with Porter Jr. leaving the arena at halftime. Can you blame him?

Campazzo logged a career-high 22 points on 11 shots in 34:19 on the floor. He shot 3 of 5 from deep and penetrated the defense routinely. El Mago dished out 12 assists as well, dipping deep into his bolso and pulling out rabbits all night long. He drove and kicked, grabbed an offensive board and kicked, dissected the zone, went behind his back, and even between defender’s legs:

It was a masterclass from Campazzo, the only point guard available to Denver. Acting Head Coach Popeye Jones joked he wanted to play him the entire game, and why not? In addition to the career night, Facu earned the coveted DPOG chain from Jones with eight deflections, five steals, and two blocks. He was relentless.

You want another clip. I can tell. Don’t worry, baby birds, here comes the cherry on top.

Nikola Jokić – A-

Jokić recorded more turnovers than assists, the only actual stain on his night. Otherwise, he dominated in low gear and caught plenty of rest playing roughly 25 minutes. It was the type of game he hasn’t had the luxury of enjoying this season. The MVP coasted to 24 points and 11 rebounds.

Will Barton – B-

Barton didn’t shoot well, but he played well, logging six assists, two steals, and a block. Rivers did the heavy lifting on one of those assists, and another was a flashy pass to Vlatko Čančar in transition, but the rest went to the big fella. Barton fed Jokić with a nice re-post, in the pick-and-roll, and off an inbounds play. Of his 12 points, two came off a nice strong drive to the rim, although it’s worth noting, if you haven’t pieced it together by now, that Houston offered little resistance on defense.

Aaron Gordon – B

Gordon played big, strong, and lived at the rim, sometimes soaring high above. All seven of his field goals came from point-blank range, and Houston couldn’t match up with his blend of size, strength, and quickness.

Austin Rivers – D+

Rivers played a poor game alongside the starters. He defended Steph Curry well in the win over Golden State but otherwise looks a much better fit off the bench so far. His tentative trigger from outside is problematic, and sometimes he stifles good ball movement. That is easy to say after a poor performance, though, and he’s given Denver good minutes of late.

Davon Reed – C-

Mr. Dependable actually struggled in the win, logging as many personal fouls as points scored. All is well that ends well.

Rayjon Tucker – B-

Denver’s recent hardship addition, Rayjon Tucker, understood his assignment Saturday night. He played 22 minutes in the win, yet only shot once and knocked it down. He stayed otherwise committed to a defense-first approach and impressed his teammate Aaron Gordon, who called Tucker someone Denver can “rely on” defensively.

Vlatko Čančar – A-

Vlatko was excellent off the bench, scoring 11 points on seven shots and dishing out an assist in 14:46 on the court. However, his night ended unceremoniously when he was clobbered in the nose inadvertently, drawing a lot of blood. After the game, Jones shouted him out as a valuable archetype in the NBA: a low-mistake, high-IQ player who doesn’t need plays drawn up for him.

JaMychal Green – A-

Sure, Green committed four personal fouls again — some things will never change. But the rest of his performance was great. Green played with good energy in 20:48 off the bench, scoring 11 points, grabbing seven rebounds, and handing out four assists. He continued rolling hard to the rim alongside Campazzo, which earned him another thunderous dunk. These aren’t consolation compliments either. He finished a +15.

Bol Bol – A-

Brace yourselves, Bol played, and he played well. Not only did Bol play well, but here’s the kicker: he played well alongside Jokić. The two ran a pick-and-roll (which is insane), resulting in an open bucket for Jokić after an exceptional pass from an impossible angle. Jokić returned the favor later, finding Bol for an alley-oop. The Nuggets brought fan fiction to life in Houston.

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