When the top-seeded Lakers and third seed Denver Nuggets met for a backend seeding game on Monday night, there was little on the line. The Lakers didn’t need a win for any practical reason outside of garnering momentum as they gear up for the playoffs. The Nuggets, having just clinched home-court advantage, entered the game without four starters and with plenty of incentive for resting who did start down the stretch. There were seemingly no statements to make, and yet, as both teams walked off the floor following the Lakers 124-121 win, each side might have felt they made one all the same.

If the Lakers indeed entered the game without a sense of urgency, one manifested by its conclusion. LeBron James and Anthony Davis put the pedal to the floor for four quarters, most notably the final one, in which Nuggets Head Coach Michael Malone pulled his starters again and let the even younger core step up to the plate.

A second-unit featuring Monte Morris/PJ Dozier/Keita Bates-Diop-/Bol Bol/Mason Plumlee played the entire quarter, dropping 33 points on 66% from the field, pushing LeBron and company to the final possession. After Dozier went 1-2 from the line to tie the game with 4.8 seconds left, Lakers Head Coach Frank Vogel burned his final timeout. The Nuggets lost track of Kyle Kuzma on the inbounds play, who sprinted for the corner to receive a pass from Davis and drained an open three to seal the deal.

The Lakers celebrated like a team that desperately needed to feel good about themselves, a somewhat peculiar sight for a team with much bigger fish to fry. Manufactured or well-earned, the Lakers left the court with some much-need momentum, while the Nuggets walked off with smiles on their faces. If that’s the team to beat, then beatable they seem, now more than ever. If Denver was considered deep before, then we writers must find a more fitting adjective. The Nuggets’ young core watched from the bench, cheering on their teammates, as the younger core pushed the Lakers to the brink of defeat, and apparently, insanity.

Competitive opening three-quarters in which the two teams went toe-to-toe set the stage for that dynamic finish. Michael Porter Jr. didn’t back down from an early matchup with Lebron James and opened the game with one of those elite scoring bursts that are starting to look routine. Nikola Jokić seemed to be in cruise control, but Jamal Murray, who started his second straight game for the first time in the bubble, looked a young man on a mission. Murray is visibly more robust since returning from the hiatus, and his strength was on display as he found ways to punish Los Angeles in the paint and out of the post despite their size.

The younger core came up just short of the win but gave their head coach just what he was looking for, and their teammates a jolt of confidence nonetheless. No team has turned a more disheartening set of circumstances upon their arrival in Disney World into something so inspiring. As Denver seeks to get whole again, they can find comfort in knowing the well runs deep. Should they get whole again, they’ve got a stache of mental confidence to stock up on. This team can run with anyone.

Let’s go the grades.

Honor Roll

Michael Malone – A+

If you, like myself, felt the dark clouds of dread swirling overhead as news of Denver’s setbacks in Disney World trickled in, then you might also find yourself in shock at how different everything feels now. Malone turned rotten lemons into fresh lemonade by unleashing MPJ, tossing Bol into the deep end, and popping his roster open like a matryoshka doll, revealing yet another layer of talent and prospect of future success.

This team needed a jolt of fresh energy and good news, given their delayed restart to the season. Key guys got to the bubble late, and several starters are already hurting or injured. Malone has helped a series of events unfold that allows this team to stay loose, have fun, and remind themselves — why can’t they be the ones?

PJ Dozier – A-

Dozier led the Nuggets in minutes and points off the bench, putting up 18 in a little more than 26 minutes. Prone to an occasionally itchy trigger finger, Dozier either limited himself to prudent shots or converted on his more ambitious attempts all night long. He was 5/7 from the field, 2/2 from deep, and 6/7 from the free-throw line—that missed free throw loomed large for all of 5 minutes, but Kuzma’s shot spared us the dialogue and painful concession of irony given our preferred nickname for the young guard. Still, 10 of Dozier’s points came in the fourth. We named him our King of the Game, presented by Draft Kings Sportsbook.

Michael Porter Jr. A- 

It’s hard to criticize 15 points and 4 rebounds on 6/6 from the field and 2/2 from deep in just 24 minutes. So I won’t.

Jamal Murray – A-

Murray looked strong out there, but he also looked shifty — a word I’ve not felt inclined to use when describing his game before. Murray has yet to evolve into a quick-trigger and pull-up threat from deep. Still, he does look tough to stay in front of right now — a trait belonging to every elite guard in the league. The next best thing to the three-point development is finding ways to break his man down and penetrate the defense. I love what I see in that regard, as his well-rounded skillset around the rim plus the threat of his mid-range game has defenders on their heels lately.

The Rest of the Second Unit – A-

Morris and Plumlee turned in characteristically solid performances, Bol unleashed a Jokić-Esque full-court laser that sent our collective imaginations into a frenzy, and even Bates-Diop scored 10 points on 50% from the field. They were a made free throw and missed bomb from Kuzma from a shared A+. Alas, an Honor Roll worthy performance from the bench nonetheless.

Bol Bol with his first career TD pass. Congratulations to the best Denver QB since John Elway

pic.twitter.com/Kjo4Ll0RbB

— George Jarjour (@GeorgeOnTap) August 11, 2020

The Class

Paul Millsap – B-

Millsap scored 13 points on 71% from the field, grabbed 4 rebounds, and recorded 4 assists, but he struggled with the Anthony Davis matchup. He looked helpless trying to contain AD’s first-half explosion, and there was no Jerami Grant to ease the load.

Nikola Jokić – C+

Jokić wasn’t that involved. When the games matter, Jokić will be involved.

Torrey Craig – C-

Craig was 0/3 from deep and not what you would call locked in on the defensive end.