Nikola Jokić – A
The Clippers left their foot off the gas in the first half. Jokić drew a lot of attention, and occasional tentative double-teams, but for the most part, the Clippers shelved their blueprint for stopping the reigning MVP. He scored 17 points on 5 of 7 shooting in the first half. He was aggressive, not just as a scorer but also defensively and on the glass. Jokić was everywhere, racking up deflections, stealing the ball twice, and blocking three shots. The Clippers leaned into their gameplan in the fourth, but Denver was active off-ball, allowing the ball to get popping. The Nuggets played a much healthier brand of basketball and pulled away in crunch time. It was a good step in the right direction for the half-court offense. They got bogged down by the heavy denial once or twice but avoided the dreaded stagnation and stuck to their brand of basketball.
Aaron Gordon – B
Gordon tried to do the right things, and for the most part, he executed his game plan. We’ll have to stomach the occasional side-step jumper that has no business going up, that’s not going away, but he attacked the rim against LAC. He had some aggressive finishes, got to the line, and fought hard on the offensive glass. Gordon is at his best when the ball pops as it did Tuesday night. He’s a great connecting piece and a good playmaker in a healthy offense. He finished with six assists in the win.
Will Barton – C
Barton took the fewest shots of any starter, which calls for attention whenever it occurs, given his reputation as a chucker. This win, however, wasn’t his best game on either end. He struggled to navigate screens as a defender and stay engaged off-ball. He missed some good looks at the rim and turned it over twice to just two assists. He did get in on the fun with a dagger 3 to seal the win. Barton wasn’t great, but it wasn’t catastrophic. The starters rolled.
Monte Morris – A-
Morris was everything you’d hoped he’d be against the Clippers. The Mayor held a steady hand on the wheel, knocked down his open jumpers, and came up clutch, more than once. Of course, he also posted five assists to zero turnovers—The Full Monte.
Jeff Green – A
The Nuggets needed a bounceback game, and so did Jeff Green. They got it together. Green was very active off-ball, leading to easy looks at the rim and open threes from the corner. Often, Green fades into the background. Tuesday night, he lodged himself firmly in the foreground and tuned the Clippers up offensively. Green’s been running out of juice as a replacement starter. It was great to see him kick it into a higher gear.
Bones Hyland – B+
Hyland played an honor roll-worthy game on offense. He knocked down some ridiculous 3s, his fearlessness on full display. But he did turn it over twice and played like a rookie on the other end. He got beat off the dribble, took some frustrating fouls, and looked slightly out of his depth for much of the game. That’s much easier to swallow when he’s snatching ankles and calling bottoms from the logo. It may not be fair to call him a star in the making, but he’s got the makings of a star. Bones is already must-see TV.
Boogie Cousins – B+
That was Boogie ball, brought to us by DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins is an absolute bully on the court. He’s fearless, reckless, hot-tempered, and most importantly, gargantuan. He looked like such a handful against a small second-unit for the Clippers, fearing no one in his path. Cousins and Bones led the bench through tenable minutes.
Austin Rivers – B
Rivers also played well and spent time with the starters in Jeff Green’s stead to close the game. He knocked down some clutch 3s and was an absolute menace defensively. After losing his man Luke Kennard during one possession, Rivers spun around for a frantic contest, only to spin right into a screen that he deftly navigated, recovered in time to deny another look from 3, and then hounded Kennard, who attacked the closeout. Rivers blocked his shot from behind. He puts guys in the torture chamber when he’s locked in.
