Nuggets-Wizards Grades: The Blue Arrow hits his target

The Denver Nuggets canned 17 threes and beat the Washington Wizards 108-100. Denver improved to 2-2 on the seven-game road trip and moved one game back of the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference playoff picture.

Here’s how every Nuggets played fared in the win over the Wizards.

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

Nikola Jokic (B) 71.58 — Jokic couldn’t buy a basket to start the game, hitting only one of the first seven shots he attempted. In the past, that slow start might have deterred Jokic from shooting as the game wore on. That wasn’t the case Friday, however. He kept firing and scored 25 points (10-21 FG) to go along with eight rebounds and five assists.

Jamal Murray (B+) 73.01 — The Blue Arrow did most of his damage in the first half. He poured in 20 of his 25 points across the first two quarters of the game. His first field goal of the second half came with 4:06 remaining. It was a three-pointer that gave Denver the lead for good. Murray hit five threes in all.

Will Barton (A-) 78.59 — Denver got Dr. Jekyll Will Barton down the stretch. After struggling late in Miami, Barton scored 14 fourth-quarter points. Barton hit two huge threes and blocked Kelly Oubre Jr.’s try from deep late in the game.

Torrey Craig (C-) 50.23 — Craig was solid but not spectacular, which is exactly the type of performance Denver needs from its two-way player. He made 4-5 shots, including the only three he attempted, and grabbed five rebounds in 19 minutes. Expect him to remain in the rotation from here on out.

Devin Harris (C-) 51.59 — There are times when Denver’s youngsters struggle to make plays out of the pick and roll. That’s something Harris excels at. He served up two alley-oops for Mason Plumlee in this game alone. Harris, who tallied 10 points and four assists, was a plus-six in 28 minutes.

Wilson Chandler (C-) 49.05 — Chandler scored only eight points in 40 minutes of floor time, but he performed well playing power forward next to Jokic during crunch time. Denver got hammered when it went big in the third quarter. Down the stretch, it found success by going small.

Mason Plumlee (C-) 51.97 — It wasn’t a night to write home about. The Plumdog Millionaire didn’t make much of a mark on the game. He was on the floor in the third quarter when Denver squandered its lead. He scored four points in 18 minutes.

Paul Millsap (D) 37.68 — Millsap followed up his best outing of the season in Chicago with one of his worst in the nation’s capital. He went 1-4 from the field in 25 minutes. It should be noted: Millsap wasn’t 100 percent healthy. He missed shootaround Friday with flu-like symptoms. Give Millsap credit for trying to gut it out, even if he struggled.