Nuggets-Spurs Game 5 Grades: Jamal Murray finds his playoff groove

The Nuggets found their groove in Game 5, putting on a masterclass performance in a 108-90 win putting Denver one win away from clinching a spot in round two.

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-) 80.10 — With the game well in hand by the fourth quarter, Jokic was able to get some rest and played just short of 33 minutes and he was once again just a couple of assists shy of a triple-double in a 16-point, 11-rebounds, eight-assist night where he added two steals and one block. While it wasn’t his most dominant game of the series, when Denver’s star big man was on the court the Spurs didn’t have any answers, as he posted a plus-27 plus-minus, a 126 ORtg and a 90 DRtg. As the catalyst for Denver’s offense, he’s been unstoppable all series long, and now that he knows what the Spurs are going to do is just toying with them. 

Jamal Murray (A) 84.59 — Murray reminded everyone how phenomenal he can be when he’s playing in rhythm, finding and making shots within the offense with ease. Once he found that rhythm, pull-up jumpers and tough contested shots were falling like it was nothing. When he’s on like that, Murray is close to unstoppable as he scored an easy 23 points in 28 minutes with seven assists and two steals to boot. Murray recorded a cool 68 eFG% with a 134 ORtg and a 93 DRtg in a scorching hot performance. He was arguably the best player on the court with a much deserved A grade. 

Paul Millsap (B-) 68.23 — Millsap’s 14-point, six-assist line won’t wow you, but when he was on the court, Denver played winning basketball and Millsap finished as a plus-31 in 25 minutes with a 102 DRtg and a 117 ORtg. He made a pair of key 3s and was aggressive getting his shot when he needed to as the Nuggets piled on early and never looked back. 

Gary Harris (B) 73.35 — Harris registered an outstanding 81 eFG% on his way to 15 points in 27 minutes and a plus-23 plus-minus. Like most of the starting lineup, his offensive and defensive ratings were off the charts. He’s averaging a 64.46 DPR in the series, which is way up from the 56.58 he averaged during the regular season. 

Scout’s Grade (A) — I thought Harris had a case as Denver’s top player last night. He played some of the best defense that I’ve seen from him over the last few seasons and was solid on the other end of the floor as well. He’s completely taken Derrick White out of the last two games.

Torrey Craig (D) 43.08 — Craig cooled off offensively in Game 5, scoring just one point, but he added 10 rebounds and was plus-5 on the night. His defense was strong with a 94 DRtg but his 62 ORtg and a zero eFG% hurt his grade significantly. The Nuggets didn’t really need his offense in this one.

Scout’s Grade (B+) — You don’t really count on Craig for his scoring. If he knocks home a couple 3s it’s an added bonus because you know you’ll get a great effort from him defensively, which is what he gave Denver in this one. Double-digit rebounds plus stout defense on DeMar DeRozan resulted in a strong grade from me.

Will Barton (B-) 65.22 — Barton had another strong outing coming off the bench, scoring 17 in 28 minutes while adding five rebounds and three assists. Barton was efficient, recording a 68 eFG% and accounted for a 114 ORtg and a strong 101 DRtg. Even if he only made a quarter of his 3-point attempts, he was still a strong contributor on offense which is a huge sign moving forward. 

Malik Beasley (C) 58.28 — Beasley shot it well making 71% of his attempts per eFG% on his way to a 119 ORtg. He scored 11 points in 26 minutes while adding two rebounds and two assists. It was a solid outing for Beasley who stayed aggressive and was key in Denver running up the score as he helped find great shots. Beasley didn’t score a higher grade as he was on the court in garbage time as the Spurs narrowed the gap late resulting in a minus-6 plus-minus, but Beasley was strong aside from that and has shown a nice maturity to his game this series.

Monte Morris (C) 59.37 — Morris’s impact from the bench was solid, as he scored 10 points in 24 minutes but also registered a 55 eFG%, but was a minus-9 on the night. His positive Net Rating helped him reach a passing grade as he played a key role in Denver’s early runs, making nifty shots even if his 3-ball wasn’t falling.

Mason Plumlee (D-) 35.10 — Plumlee wasn’t his best in this one, scoring just one point and adding three boards in a minus-9 outing. He did record a blocked but also posted an abysmal 21 ORtg in 16 minutes.