The Denver Nuggets were in New Orleans on Friday night looking to redeem themselves after consecutive losses to the Pelicans. There were some notable differences in this third matchup—the Nuggets were without Jamal Murray, Paul Millsap, and Mason Plumlee, and the Pelicans were with the number one overall draft pick, Zion Williamson. It wasn’t exactly a recipe for success, but Denver found some redemption in a 113-106 win.
It was clear from the jump what a matchup problem Zion presents for not just Denver, but any team in the league. He’s too big for Torrey Craig and Jerami Grant, but also too quick for Nikola Jokić. He was contained in this matchup, but more so by his minutes restriction than anything Denver threw at him. He put up 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting in about twenty minutes on the floor.
The absence of Millsap changed a lot in this game—Grant slid up to the starting power forward position, and in the Zion-less minutes found himself guarding the Pelicans Wing/Power Forward hybrid, Brandon Ingram. Ingram torched Millsap in the first two matchups, but Grant’s a superior option in defending wing players, and he stifled Ingram.
Head coach Michael Malone opted for a different look with his depleted starting lineup. The Nuggets ran with point-Thrill as Morris sat, and Denver trotted out five without a traditional point guard in the mix. Torrey Craig started at Small Forward as Gary Harris returned to the lineup from injury. Harris struggled in first game back, but Craig put forth his best performance of the season as Denver found its way to 113 hard-earned points.
Outside of Craig, only Jokić was in any real rhythm offensively. The big man went to work early, picking up eight points, two rebounds, and two assists before he missed a shot in the opening minutes. He didn’t meander or take his time feeling out the game. He played like he wanted to win and set the tone for a feel-good win.
Let’s go to the grades:
Honor Roll
Nikola Jokić – A
8, 2, and 2 in the first five minutes—27, 12, and 7 when it was all said and done. Jokić was the best player on the floor, and he played like it from the jump. The energy was on 11 as he looked like someone who was fed up with losing to an inferior team, and who was finally willing to put his team on his back to prevent it from happening a third time. We are used to Jokić setting the tone on offense, but on Friday night, he also turned in one of his best defensive performances of the year. He recorded four steals and one block, the former a result of his seemingly tentacled hands and lightning-quick reflexes, the latter falling short of reflecting his success in deterring shots around the rim. When Jokić decides he wants to win, the Nuggets rarely lose. He wanted this one.
Torrey Craig – A
Raise your hand if you had Craig taking nine shots and finishing the night as Denver’s most efficient scorer? Craig was 3-of-6 from deep on his way to a 15-point double-double, and he was Denver’s second-best player as they navigate the unwelcome familiarity of injury season. We know of the value Craig provides on the defensive end. When he can pose a threat and force defenses to take him seriously, he can make a tremendous positive impact. Denver needed this performance.
The Class
Jerami Grant – B+
Grant’s shown his value the most this season when asked to guard scorers on the wing. We all remember the job he did shutting down Kawhi Leonard for stretches of the home win over the Clippers, and his defense on Ingram played a significant role in flipping the Denver – New Orleans script. He also turned in one of his best games as a rebounder. He finished with nine total boards, including six on the offensive end. Grant is now averaging over six rebounds per contest in his last six games.
Michael Porter Jr. – B
Porter Jr. put up 15 and 10 in 24 minutes, but he struggled from the floor, hitting five of his 15 shot attempts. A big part of Porter Jr’s game, and what makes him so efficient in his scoring outbursts, is his ability to finish around the rim. Between his cutting, his offensive rebounding ability, and the reckless abandon with which some defenders are beginning to close out on his jump shot, he’s found a way to pick up easy points on high percentage looks. But he forced the issue a bit in New Orleans. He settled for his jumper one too many times, opting for difficult stepbacks over confident drives, and missed a couple of bunnies around the rim. He was 1-of-5 in the paint, which I get the feeling will be a rare occurrence.
Monte Morris – B-
Morris played well—10 points on 4-0f-8 shooting, four assists, and only one turnover—but didn’t play much as he logged just 14 minutes off the bench.
Will Barton III – C+
It was a rough game for Barton III, who took more shots (14) than he scored points (13) and looked somewhat disjointed for much of the night. He only took one shot in the fourth but converted the layup attempt as he slashed across the rim with 48 seconds remaining, pushing the lead to five and effectively closing the door on the Pelicans.
Principal’s Office
Gary Harris – D+
Only 6 points on 3-of-12 from the floor, o-of-4 from deep, and a couple of missed floaters.
He’s back.
Game Ball
