Nuggets-Trail Blazers Game 1 Grades: Jokic and Murray’s two-man game can’t be stopped

Finally, after a turbulent seven-game series against the San Antonio Spurs, the Nuggets reminded everyone of the type of beautiful basketball they can play in a masterful 121-113 Game 1 win against the Portland Trail Blazers.

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 () 97.02 — Jokic didn’t do anything special in this one, just an easy 37 points on a 79 eFG%, with nine rebounds, three steals, six assists, and two blocks, resulting in his third-best DPR of the entire season. Take notes folks, we’re watching true greatness here, as Jokic took over and dominated the third quarter and the Nuggets never looked back. The patience and efficiency with which Jokic ran the offense and found his shots were special to watch. Everything he did statistically was at an elite level including his 158 ORtg. Words can’t explain how good Joker was in this one and has been this entire postseason. With the Trail Blazers’ depleted center rotation, they’re going to have a hard time trying to stop Denver’s star.

Jamal Murray (B+) 75.45 — Murray wasn’t as spectacular as Jokic but the two of them together were something to behold. Everything Murray did was close to measured, as he went off for an easy 23 points in 34 minutes on an impressive 68 TS%. He did a great job dishing out eight assists as well on his way to a plus-18 game. With a USG% of 24 and an ORtg of 144, the advanced stats all liked Murray’s outing too. If there was one negative note on Murray’s game, beyond not contributing as a rebounder, it was a 120 DRtg, as the entire team didn’t play their best on the defensive end. Outside of that, Murray was the outstanding smooth-shooting floor general that he can be when he’s on.

Paul Millsap (B-) 65.31 — Millsap got going early, and once Portland tried to close down on him, he found ways to dish it out of double and triple teams, getting the best possible shot. The veteran forward ended the game with 19 points, six rebounds, three assists and a block in 28 minutes and was a plus-6. He also shot a solid 63 TS% and got to the line seven times. Surprisingly, while the eye-test and conventional stats indicated Milsap had a fine performance, a big part of his grade not being better was that he scored exactly the same ORtg as he did DRtg.

Gary Harris (C) 57.21 — Harris seemed to have a strong outing defensively with a steal and two blocks and he also added 11 points, five rebounds, and two assists in a plus-4 game. He also hit two key 3s but only recorded a 50 eFG%. Not to mention Harris had an unbelievable reverse layup under the hoop off a nice Jokic dime. What really hurt his grade was a negative Net Rating which came out to minus-25 and his 91 ORtg and 116 DRtg, were both pretty ugly. 

Torrey Craig (D+) 46.51 — Craig’s energy level was outstanding in 19 minutes. He finished as a plus-5 ball but his overall production wasn’t great though. All Craig had to show for his effort was three points and three rebounds and he recorded a 50 eFG%. However, his Net Rating was much better than Harris’ but still in the negatives (-4). 

Will Barton (C-) 53.19 — Here’s a statistical anomaly that may only interest me: Barton’s now had three consecutive games where his plus-minus was exactly minus-2, which is kind of weird. In 16 minutes in Game 1, he had a decent outing scoring nine points on a rough 43 eFG%. Offensively he wasn’t the sharpest, even if he had his moments, and ultimately had a 126 DRtg. He did account for a very high 28.1 USG% but was fairly average overall. 

Malik Beasley (C) 56.42 — Beasley had his moments, including back-to-back 3s on his way to nine points in a playoff-high 28 minutes. His effort was felt as he impacted the game in a variety of ways with four rebounds, one steal, one block and one assist. It wasn’t an immaculate game but definitely one worthy of a passing grade. 

Monte Morris (D) 40.59 — Morris wasn’t the sharpest as he tried to get going offensively but missed a few shots that he’d typically make, resulting in a rough 61 ORtg. Outside of his attempts to get some quick offense, his contribution was limited in a minus-10 outing in just 15 minutes. 

Mason Plumlee (C+) 59.82 — Plumlee was strong in 24 minutes, scoring six points and grabbing six rebounds while also accounting for an absurd five steals. Unsurprisingly, his Net Rating was an impressive plus-29 as Portland’s young centers struggled when he and Jokic were on the floor at the same time. A minus-3 plus-minus and a lackluster 50 eFG% limited his grade but his impact was noticeable.