Nuggets-Heat Grades: Close but no cigar

The Denver Nuggets fell in double-overtime 149-141 to the Miami Heat Monday night. Denver won the first quarter 37-36 and six Nuggets players hit double-figures in scoring but Miami outscored Denver 18-10 in the second overtime period to win by eight points.

Here’s how every Nuggets played fared in the loss.

*Our game grades are dictated by our Dynamic Player Rating (DPR), which take into account 12 different statistical factors.

Jamal Murray (C+) 63.13 — Murray is shooting just 41.4 percent from the field in March — perhaps a result of tired legs after more minutes and more responsibility in his second NBA season. He shot 5-16 against the Heat but did convert on four of his eight three-point attempts.

Will Barton (C+) 60.67 — Denver rode Barton for 46 minutes in Miami and Barton had an up-and-down night. He scored 22 points on just 8-21 shooting and his potential game-saving block towards the end of regulation was huge. But Barton also had too many lowlights on defense — as did the rest of Denver’s roster.

Wilson Chandler (C+) 60.01 — Chandler continues to score the ball well and chipped in 26 points on 11-17 shooting. He’s hitting better than 54 percent of his field goals and 44 percent of his threes in March. The Nuggets need more players other than Chandler and Paul Millsap to play defense.

Paul Millsap (C) 57.87 — Millsap hit some tough shots against the Heat and finished 5-11. He also contributed eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. He can’t turn around Denver’s defense by himself.

Nikola Jokic  (B+) 77.59 — Jokic continues to carry Denver on the offensive end of the floor. Nuggets coach Michael Malone has switched up his substitution patterns so Jokic plays more with a struggling bench unit and it has worked. He finished with 34 points, 15 rebounds and three assists while staying in the positives in plus-minus.

Devin Harris (C) 57.14 — Harris continues to play well. Maybe he’s finding his groove with the Nuggets after Denver acquired him from Dallas in February. Harris was one of just three Nuggets players to finish with a positive plus-minus. He had a case to be on the floor at the end of the game and in overtime Monday.

Mason Plumlee (D) 44.02 — 23 minutes for Plumlee against the Heat which is as many as he logged in Denver’s two previous games combined. As a result, Trey Lyles recorded a DNP-CD. Plumlee finished with three points, four rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block.

Torrey Craig (D) 46.36 — Craig hit a few timely threes versus the Heat and finished with six points. He was also a plus-six on the night. He wasn’t spectacular on defense but he’s one of Denver’s best options right now. His time away from the team over the past month doesn’t help the communication issues that the Nuggets face on that end of the floor.