Nikola Jokić – B–
What’s the opposite of stat padding? Nikola Jokić hibernated through the first half against the Charlotte Hornets. He took only one shot and played as if he’d paused his game to be there. In fairness, the Nuggets recently triumphed in Charlotte despite trailing at the half in December. You likely remember their 30-9 run in the third quarter. Jokić picked the same spot to separate the two teams Monday night.
He hit the gas pedal in the third. He scored 11 points on 5/6 shooting. He led all Nuggets in field goal attempts. Was Jokić biding his time against a struggling team? He’d likely deny any concerted effort to score or not. And we can acknowledge an aggressively anti-Jokić scheme from Charlotte. Either way, the result was strikingly similar to their last matchup. Denver outscored the Hornets 40-17 in the period.
Jamal Murray – A-
Murray was a minor factor in Jokić’s non-shooting. He led the way offensively in the first quarter, knocking down three 3s and dropping 11 points on former Teammate Ish Smith. He dropped 11 points again in the third, thanks to a couple of 3s and good work at the free throw line. The starters took the fourth off.
Murray has a lot of love for Smith. Everyone does. It might not have looked that way when the two went at each other in the first quarter, but Murray said as much after the game. The championship roster still has an active group text, including the now scattered bench players. “That championship team is connected forever,” Murray said.
Michael Porter Jr. – A-
Porter missed some good looks to start and close the game. Those cold spells bookended an otherwise efficient night from the forward. He shot 4/5 from three-point range in the second and third quarters combined. He scored eight points in each. Porter was the last starter to check out for good. Malone left him out there as a zone-buster for the second unit.
Porter acknowledged differing approaches to playing with each group. There’s no need to force anything with the starters, he admitted. He gets so many wide-open threes. It’s a different task playing alongside Reggie Jackson and company. He played with both Monday, leading the team in +/-, scoring the second-most points, and grabbing the second-most rebounds.
Aaron Gordon – B-
Aaron Gordon returned to the court after a brief absence from the team due to a dog bite. This is a new one for the injury report, but he only missed two games despite the harrowing “indefinite” label. Gordon scored 10 points on 4/5 shooting while sporting a bandage over his stitched right hand.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – C+
KCP’s playmaking is the emerging silver lining to Murray’s extended absence. He spread his wings as a ball-handler in Denver’s offense, and he’s been on another level since. He finished with four assists and zero turnovers in the blowout.
Reggie Jackson – B+
Jackson was dealing with a skin lesion not too long ago and is now dealing with calf tightness. He played against the Hornets anyway and delivered off the bench. Jackson scored 14 points while adding four rebounds and four assists. It was one of his best performances since Murray’s return to the lineup.
Peyton Watson – B-
Watson played disruptive defense and knocked down a couple of threes. He began as a transition threat with raw athleticism. Already, he’s an improved cutter and shooter in a half-court offense.
Christian Braun – B–
Braun knocked down another three, grabbed four rebounds, and blocked two shots. We saw some decent individual efforts off the bench, but it didn’t add up to a positive impact. The starters carried the day.
Zeke Nnaji – C
Nnaji blocked three shots and secured the DPOG chain from Michael Malone. Malone also misspoke and credited him with 13 rebounds after the game. We’ve fact-checked that at DNVR: it was three rebounds. Not quite.
Julian Strawther – F
Strawther gets the quickest hook of any non-center this season. He’s in the rotation but in the unenviable position of not knowing when he’ll play or how long it’ll last. Finding a rhythm is challenging under those circumstances.
