Nuggets-Heat Grades: Late night magic

This 2018-19 version of the Denver Nuggets won’t stay down for long. After a tough loss in Houston, the Nugs bounced back in a nail-biting 103-99 victory in Miami over the Heat.

We grade every performance from the Nuggets with our Dynamic Player Rating (DPR), which take 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-) 83.63 — First things first. Beyond the stats, Jokic came through in the clutch making an awkward floater to put Denver ahead for good in the dying seconds. He also added his fourth triple-double of the season with an impressive 29 points, 11 boards, and 10 assists.

The Joker was efficient scoring from the field on a 61 TS% clip while only turning the ball over three times. He’s now averaged an absurd 82.57 DPR in the last six games and is averaging 22.8 points since December. His remarkable performance in South Beach marked “only” his ninth best DPR of the year, a testament to how good he’s been this season.

Jamal Murray (B-) 64.63 — Murray still didn’t have the most efficient scoring night, a trend in four of his last five games, but he found other ways to contribute and stayed confident scoring late, allowing the two-man game with Jokic to work as he dished it to No. 15 for the winning floater. Murray scored 18 and added six assists to only one turnover, which salvaged his grade despite a 39 percent eFG%.

Paul Millsap (B-) 65.59 — Millsap fell a rebound short of a double-double and was active defensively, with a steal and a block added to a 105 DRtg. He contributed 12 points off of 48 percent TS% while adding four assists and four offensive rebounds in a +8 night.

Malik Beasley (D+) 47.63 — Thurst into the starting lineup due to Gary Harris’ injury, Beasley had an underwhelming evening scoring nine points in 36 minutes while making only one of six three-pointers. He also turned the ball over three times and only dished out two assists. He also had a significantly higher DRtg than the rest of the starting five.

Torrey Craig (B) 69.87 — Craig had his second best DPR of the season and a huge impact on the boards with a game-high 16, six of which came on the offensive glass. He added four assists and scored 11 points while shooting 42 percent from beyond the arc. Craig was incredibly efficient and fought hard on the defensive end as well in Denver’s second-best performance of the game.

Mason Plumlee (C-) 52.27 — Unlike the Rockets, the matchup against the Heat and their rotation of bigs suited Plumlee perfectly but he didn’t quite have it. In just over 10 minutes, Plumlee contributed five points and three defensive boards, with three assists. His 104 DRtg helped him some in a -1 night where his impact was a bit lacking.

Monte Morris (D) 43.60 — Morris had his third-worst performance per DPR of the season, scoring a measly four points in 25 minutes while only dishing out two assists and turning the ball over once. His shot just wasn’t falling in a 2-for-7 shooting night.

Trey Lyles (B-) 68.01 — Despite a -8 plus-minus in 15 minutes while scoring 15 points and doing little else, Tuesday night marked Lyles’ sixth-best performance per DPR of the season. His super efficient scoring was the catalyst for his grade as he scored a point per minute on an impressive 93 percent eFG%.