Grades: Nuggets beat ‘The Seven Sixers’ in Philadelphia

The Denver Nuggets found themselves at the end of a closed-loop, Saturday afternoon. After a flurry of confusing and sometimes contradicting updates from Adrian Wojnarowski, we learned the 76ers would host the Nuggets with just eight active players. And even that was a stretch. Mike Scott suited up but never played. Denver found itself on the other end of ‘The Seven’ game. Only this time, the full-strength team took care of business. Every active player touched the floor as the Nuggets took care of business and took a win with them on the way out.

Let’s go to the grades:

Nikola Jokić – A

Early foul trouble stymied an early run from Jokić and the Nuggets. Two first-quarter fouls against Dwight Howard earned him a spot on the bench, but those were the only fouls Jokić picked up when it was all said and done. He posted a +24 with 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 12 assists on 6/8 shooting in 29:01 on the floor. What a classic performance from the big fella.

Gary Harris – A

Well, this is just tantalizing. Harris put up 21 points on 7/11 shooting and 5/8 from deep — as many threes as he had hit all season long coming into the game. Is Gary Harris back? The hole he dug himself is too deep to pretend he’s climbed out after one fantastic night. Still, we can all admit this was a sight for sore eyes. Even Harris flashed a smile as he acknowledged, “it felt good” to see some shots fall. “Got another one tomorrow,” he said. “(I’ve) got to knock some shots down tomorrow.”

Jamal Murray – B-

Murray was practically invisible Saturday afternoon, but that’s probably a good thing. The Nuggets wanted to take care of business and get the bench on the floor for the fourth quarter — a mission they accomplished despite an underwhelming first-half — but Murray took it a step further. He didn’t exhaust himself in a win that was almost guaranteed, and that was prudent given how heavily they’ve leaned on him and Jokić thus far.

After the game, he tweeted it was a great team win and pointed out everyone got in on the action:

Whole squad got to hoop today!! Great win

— Jamal Murray (@BeMore27) January 9, 2021

Paul Millsap – C-

Millsap was the weak link in a strong starting unit Saturday. Millsap can still do a few things effectively, but that’s an increasingly short list, and the blown post up opportunities are becoming tough to watch. That said, as I’ve written here before, Millsap acknowledged a desire to limit himself even further as a role player on this team. I think he understands the limitations imposed by father time.

Will Barton – B+ 

Barton finished with an efficient 14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block. He looked more confident around the rim, which is a big part of his game and an encouraging sign given his struggles since returning. He’s got a long way to go still, but this too is a welcome sight.

JaMychal Green – B

Green’s playing well. He finished with a modest 12 points and 6 boards in 21 minutes. It wasn’t his best performance in a Nuggets uniform, but reintroducing a traditional big to the mix has altered the bench dynamic for the better.

Isaiah Hartenstein – C+

Hartenstein picked up 6 points and 5 offensive rebounds in his near-15 minutes of action against a depleted 76ers squad. He was fine, the real highlight of his performance living in his personal foul column — just the one!

Monte Morris – B

I find myself taking Morris for granted these days. He finished with 12 points on 5/10 shooting and 4 assists with—wait for it—0 turnovers.

The Monte.

PJ Dozier – C

Dozier didn’t contribute much offensively, but he’s one of the few reliable defenders in Denver and grabbed eight rebounds amongst the trees in Philadelphia. His decision making remains frustrating, however.

Facundo Campazzo – C

Campazzo played 17 minutes Saturday, only getting up four shots, hitting just one. He was quiet in what were mostly inconsequential minutes, although it’s worth pointing out he was battling on defense. The bench is trending up of late, and Campazzo’s been a part of that group outside of the Dallas loss.

RJ Hampton – N/A

Hampton played a little more than five minutes in garbage time. He hit one of the two shots he got up but ultimately never had a moment. Nonetheless, a reporter asked Barton about what to expect from Hampton long term:

“I feel like you’re going to see explosiveness,” Barton said. “He’s very athletic. He’s a very good on-ball defender. He plays very hard. (He’s) a guy that can get into the lane and make plays for himself or makes good reads.”

Garbage Time Boys (Markus Howard, Bol Bol, Vlatko Cancar, Zeke Nnaji) – N/A

This group was a -8 in just over two minutes, but that doesn’t much matter. They touched the floor, which meant every active player saw some burn.