Nuggets-Spurs Grades: The bench is back

The Denver Nuggets found their offense again as their unbelievable run on the second game of back-to-backs continued with a convincing 113-85 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

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-) 80.18 — Jokic played a close to perfect game, falling an assist short of a triple-double. He was tremendously efficient too, making 90 percent of his attempts on his way to 20 points and 11 boards, all coming on a 25 USG%. In 29 minutes, Jokic was flawless with a 125 ORtg and an 87 DRtg, both outstanding figures. Why wasn’t his grade higher? It comes down to a culmination of little things like his five turnovers and a 19.6 GmSc, which is pretty average for Denver’s All-Star.

Jamal Murray (B) 72.97 — Murray didn’t shoot the ball all that well, going 6-14 from the field and only making one of his attempts from 3, but he was the point guard Denver needed, dishing out 11 assists to only three turnovers. Murray was also solid rebounding the ball with six boards in 30 minutes and was a plus-16 on the night.

Paul Millsap (C-) 52.43 — Millsap had a quiet night in 21 minutes, scoring only three points with five boards, a steal, and three assists. His plus-15 helped his grade as did staying turnover-free and some strong offensive (106) and defensive (89) ratings.

Will Barton (C+) 61.31 — Barton was effective, sinking three triples on six attempts on his way to scoring 11 points and finishing as a plus-8. His ancillary stats weren’t great but a strong 123 ORtg and 100 DRtg helped him quite a bit as did his strong night shooting it from beyond the arc.

Gary Harris (C+) 61.70 — Similar to Barton, Harris scored 11 points and was a plus-18 with slightly worse shooting percentages, although he did more as a rebounder and dished out two assists. In 30 minutes, it was far from a vintage performance for Harris but still a solid showing worthy of a passing grade.

Monte Morris (B) 72.52 — Its been a while since Morris had a game like this, as his performance marked his ninth-best of the season. Morris went off for 19 points in a plus-20 outing. He did it all on a 73 eFG% and a 26.5 USG% as well, which was his second-highest of the year.

Mason Plumlee (C+) 64.09 — In 19 minutes, Plumlee didn’t do many things wrong, scoring nine points on a 66 eFG% in addition to six rebounds, a steal, and four assists. His ORtg (138) and DRtg (88) were among the best of any Nuggets players on the night and he also finished as a plus-9. A pair of turnovers, a free throw miss, and two fouls held his grade back a bit.

Malik Beasley (B) 72.54 — Like Morris, Beasley was a plus-20 on the night with 19 points which he tallied on a 60 eFG%. Just what the doctor ordered for the Nuggets’ shooting guard who hadn’t been this impactful since back in early February against the Heat.

Torrey Craig (C-) 50.35 — Craig didn’t score in 22 minutes and only took one shot attempt all game, but he was effective, finishing as a plus-15. He also recorded seven boards, two assists, two blocks and made his presence felt in a dominant performance from Denver’s bench unit. Craig ended the night with a 125 ORtg and an 86 DRtg. Not too shabby.