Michael Malone couldn’t hide his frustration any longer.
After watching what he believed to be a foul committed on Nikola Jokic right in front of the Nuggets’ bench go uncalled, Denver’s coach ran out onto the floor to protest the non-call. Referee Evan Scott quickly signaled for a technical as assistant coach Wes Unseld Jr. rushed to hold Malone back. Malone continued to go at Scott, and then with Unseld still in between Denver’s coach and the official, Malone ripped Tuesday night’s game plan out of his lead assistant’s hands and several pieces of paper fell to the hardwood.
Malone’s thought process was sound. Perhaps a technical could rile up his bunch and inject some energy into the Nuggets who were getting outscored 20-6 to begin the second quarter. If it didn’t then Denver wasn’t going to need its game plan over the final two-plus quarters anyway.
Malone’s ploy worked. The Nuggets outscored the 76ers 17-9 over the remainder of the second quarter and only trailed by five points at halftime. But in the third the 76ers gained more separation. After the Nuggets briefly took the lead Philadelphia captured a seven-point advantage by the end of the period.
After the 76ers led for the entire fourth, Denver trimmed Philadelphia’s lead to three points with 18.9 seconds remaining on a Jokic layup. But Jokic’s duece would be the only field goal the Nuggets would score over the final 4:24 of regulation as Joel Embiid hit two game-clinching free-throws on the 76ers’ next possession to ice the win.
The defeat was the Nuggets’ fifth loss in their last six games as Denver went 1-3 on its East Coast road trip. Next up? Carmelo Anthony and the Trail Blazers on Thursday at Pepsi Center.
Let’s go to the grades.
Honor Roll
Will Barton – A
I hope your cable package includes Thrill National Television (TNT), because Barton came to play in Philly. Barton scored the Nuggets’ first 11 points of the game and finished with a game-high 26 on 10-19 shooting in 40 minutes. Barton pulled double duty in this one after starting point guard Jamal Murray (trunk contusion) left the game just five minutes into the first quarter and did not return. It was a bit of a throwback to Barton’s 2017-18 season when he masqueraded as the Nuggets’ backup point guard, initiating Denver’s offense at times. Barton finished with seven assists along with seven rebounds.
The Class
Nikola Jokic – A-
Jokic was quiet in the first half partly due to Barton’s run of buckets, scoring just four points on 2 of 5 shooting to go with six assists, but came on in the third quarter. He tallied nine points on 4 of 5 shooting to go with one triple in the third as helped the Nuggets regain the lead early in the period after a five-point halftime deficit. But in the fourth, Jokic wasn’t heard from enough. His only field goal of the final quarter came with under 30 seconds left in regulation and he took just three shots over the last 12 minutes of the game. Denver needed him in the fourth too. The Nuggets played great defense (give Jokic credit too for stout post defense on Embiid in the fourth) and held the 76ers to 14 points on 5 of 19 shooting in the period. But the Nuggets only managed 16 points in the quarter themselves. Jokic finished with 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 11 assists.
Gary Harris – B
Harris seems like he’s closer to getting his offensive game back than ever this season, and that’s a really encouraging sign for the Nuggets. He finished with 14 points on 5 of 12 shooting and 5 assists and had one of Denver’s highlights of the night, a twisting reverse layup that Harris somehow got to go with his right hand. As always, Harris’ defense helped the Nuggets hold the 76ers under 100 points and to just 41.6% shooting on the night.
Monte Morris – B
Morris assumed the starting point guard responsibilities once Murray exited the game for good midway through the first quarter and held his own. He tallied seven points and two assists in 31 minutes and more importantly only turned the ball over once. The Nuggets may have missed Murray’s shot-making, particularly late in the fourth, but Morris did what he could.
Paul Millsap – B
Solid all around night for Millsap who finished with 10 points on 4 of 8 shooting to go with 6 rebounds.
Michael Porter Jr. – C+
As expected, Porter was a fixture in the Nuggets’ rotation, taking Juancho Hernangomez’s minutes at small forward off the bench. He logged 14 minutes in the loss, finishing with six points on 2 of 7 shooting and six rebounds. You saw Porter’s rust on the offensive end of the floor. Out of his five misses Tuesday night four came on layups. But there were also some encouraging signs from the rookie. Porter continues to attack the offensive glass with an aggressive mentality (he had two offensive rebounds against the 76ers). And he also moves naturally in Denver’s read and react offense. Porter hooked up with Barton on a nicely-timed backdoor cut that led to one of the rookie’s buckets. We’ll see if he remains in the rotation going forward.
Principal’s Office
Mason Plumlee – D
It was another poor night from the Nuggets’ bench, and Plumlee didn’t help the second unit’s efforts. He was a minus-13 in 15 minutes of play. Denver’s bench just can’t string together many good possessions in a row right now.
Jerami Grant – D
Grant’s inconsistent start to his tenure in Denver continued Tuesday. He shot just 1 of 6 from the field and only corralled one rebound in his 19 minutes of action.
