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Grades: Turnovers Plague Shorthanded Nuggets in Portland

Brendan Vogt Avatar
November 24, 2021

Jeff Green – A

Jeff was the best player in a Nuggets uniform Tuesday night — which is equally as depressing as encouraging. He kept at it with the decisive drives and finally saw his three-point shot fall, knocking down three of four attempts from behind the arc. He’s struggled as a defender this season but picked up three blocks against the Blazers. Green’s picking up his play, but it’s all futile when he’s the best player on the floor. If Gordon and Barton don’t dominate, the Nuggets don’t have much of a chance.

Aaron Gordon – C+

Gordon kept at it with the grown man drives, but he finished with a conservative line despite loud plays. Gordon only took nine shots, and the Nuggets could have used more. He scored five of his 11 points in the first quarter.

AG matched up with Lillard for most of the game and couldn’t slow him down. Lillard found a groove from deep and calmly held Denver at bay. Every time Portland needed a mini-run, he obliged. He turned into a monster during an 18-3 full-sized run to close the first half, which essentially pushed the game out of Denver’s reach. Michael Malone cited that stretch as the deciding factor after the game.

Will Barton – C+

Barton looked passive at times and forced the issue at others. He recorded four turnovers which likely stood out to anyone who watched him play. Thrill did finish with eight rebounds, however, and dished out seven assists as well. Had he cleaned up his turnovers, he might have put together a nice outing, but the mistakes were loud. He also looked distressingly hesitant to drive. Barton was not on the injury report after landing awkwardly and grabbing at his groin Sunday night.

Monte Morris – C+

Morris scored 16 points on 7 of 11 shooting, which is highly encouraging. Unfortunately, he doubled up his two assists with four turnovers and couldn’t stay in front of anyone on defense. Turnovers plagued the Nuggets, and they needed better from their AST/TOV wizard.

JaMychal Green – C-

Green is taking baby steps in the right direction, but he’s a traffic cone on defense these days. The Dos Verdes starting lineup won’t be celebrated anytime soon.

PJ Dozier – Injured

PJ Dozier suffered a knee injury after four minutes on the floor, and his teammates carried him off. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN is reporting that it could be an ACL tear. Dozier is undergoing further evaluation.

Facundo Campazzo – B-

Whether it be a burst of confidence, poor scouting, or simply poor defense, Campazzo can penetrate and scramble the Portland D. That was the case in the first-round victory last postseason, and it was the case again Tuesday night. This loss marks the third total outing in which Campazzo’s played well with Zeke Nnaji in the lineup. Nnaji returned after missing several games with a right ankle sprain.

Zeke Nnaji – B-

Nnaji knocked down two threes, grabbed seven rebounds, and blocked two shots in 15 minutes. As it stands, he looks a better roll threat, pop threat, and defender than JaMychal Green. Nnaji is squarely in this fractured rotation and should be in the conversation for a spot when—if—the team is at full strength.

Austin Rivers – C+

Rivers knocked down two threes and played engaged defense in 20 minutes. Rivers isn’t saving any lineups, but he’s quietly stepped up his play as an end of bench player thrust back into the rotation.

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