Nuggets-76ers Grades: Nikola Jokic doesn't get enough help in Philly

In a daunting nationally televised matchup against the new-look 76ers, the Nuggets hung tough for four quarters but ultimately fell 117-110 as Philadelphia handed Denver its third-straight loss.

We grade every performance from the Nuggets with our Dynamic Player Rating (DPR), which takes into account 12 different statistical factors.

Note: for DPRs that are lacking context, our beat reporters are offering their scout’s grade.

Nikola Jokic (A-) 80.52 — The Joker’s 27 points, 10 boards, and 10 assists were certainly impressive in 35 minutes. His 108 DRtg was also pretty close to his season average of 106. However, his 52 eFG% wasn’t as impressive due to going 1-for-5 from three, nor was his 110 ORtg. Jokic also wracked up four fouls, which affected his grade on an otherwise impressive outing. Jokic registered his 11th triple-double of the season and ninth since the start of January.

Jamal Murray (B) 70.44 — Murray was strong in 36 minutes, scoring 23 points while adding five rebounds and six assists with only one turnover. He didn’t quite have his shooting stroke, making only 2 of 8 threes. His 118 DRtg hurt his grade as well.

Mason Plumlee (C) 59.14 — Starting again at power forward, Plumlee put up solid numbers in 36 minutes, scoring 10 points on 71 percent shooting from the field while adding eight boards and an impressive six assists. His 141 ORtg was the best of any Nuggets starters. His defensive numbers hurt him as did fouling out at the very end of regulation.

Malik Beasley (C-) 50.58 — Beasley’s efficient scoring wasn’t below league average Friday, but it was far from great on a night where he shot only 33 percent from beyond the arc. Beasley finished with 12 points and didn’t contribute much else in 35 minutes. His game might be defined by a poster attempt that got denied by Joel Embid in crunch time but making a few more threes in the fourth could’ve been huge for Denver. Beasley’s DRtg of 120 and 83 ORtg — his worst since early January at Miami — are what hurt his grade the most.

Monte Morris (C-) 53.15 — Morris had his worst game in Denver’s four-game road trip scoring just seven points and only contributing one assist in 13 minutes. His -7 plus-minus hurt his grade as did his 122 DRtg. He was efficient scoring but just didn’t do enough to put the Nuggets over the top.

Will Barton (C) 56.16 — Barton’s struggles since returning to the court continued as he’s now averaging a mediocre 56.66 DPR compared to the 72.97 he posted over his first two games of the season. In Philly, he went just 6-of-16 from the field and finished with 14 points. While Barton did add eight rebounds and seven assists, his lack of scoring and the four fouls he was called for hurt him. DPR didn’t like his -8 plus-minus either.

Torrey Craig (F) 26.86 — Craig had another F performance in a 0-for outing where his DRtg of 122 wasn’t enough to salvage his grade. Not only did Craig not score, but he also didn’t add anything else statistically in 10 minutes.

Juancho Hernangomez (C) 55.61 — Juancho was perfect from the field scoring four points in 13 minutes, which DPR rewarded him for. Aside from being efficient with his two shot attempts, his lack of contributions in any other area hurt him in a middling performance.

Trey Lyles (C+) 63.24 — Lyles’ scoring has picked up recently and so have his DPR numbers. As a result, he’s garnered more playing time. In 24 minutes against the 76ers, he was fairly effective scoring 13 points, to go with four rebounds, five assists, a steal, and two blocks. Had Lyles been just a little sharper from three-point land and had a better plus-minus his grade could’ve been significantly higher.