Jamal Murray – A
Murray goes first after turning in the first bonafide Murray Game of the young season. Jamal scored 11 consecutive points for the Nuggets across the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth – willing Denver back into a game that was slipping away. It’s the kind of performance they missed sorely last season and a game they’d drop without him. Murray may not be at 100%, but his confidence is skyrocketing, and he’s still the heart and soul of the Nuggets. It was his turn for a ‘reminder game’ in OKC.
Nikola Jokić – B+
Nikola Jokić passed Wilt Chamberlain on the all-time triple-doubles list with the 79th of his career. He dropped 15-13-14 on the Thunder, playing the part of a fulfilled playmaking genius in the first half, and applying more pressure in the second half as the shooting around him dried up. His aggressiveness wasn’t a problem, but he logged ten turnovers and looked allergic to rim protection. Many of those turnovers fall on the shoulders of teammates standing in the wrong spot or failing to finish the cut as Jokić passed them open, but ten is too many all the same.
Michael Porter Jr. – C+
MPJ didn’t close the game for the first time this season, with Michael Malone opting for Bruce Brown instead. That’s a natural substitution when looking for more defense, and Denver needed every perimeter defender on the floor, given their inability to slow, let alone guard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
If that’s the goal, you make that sub 10/10 times. I don’t think it’s necessarily an indictment of MPJ’s performance. He played hard despite a limited impact, and even on a night when he seemingly struggled from the field, he still shot 3 of 6 from deep. It wasn’t Porter’s best game, and closing with Brown was the right call, but I view that more as a luxury of the roster than a blemish.
Aaron Gordon – A
AG was out of his mind in the opening quarter. He scored 15 points on 5 of 6 shooting, including 3 of 3 from deep in just 9:46 of action. It wasn’t just that his deep shot was falling. He mixed them in with aggressive cuts and grown-man finishes at the rim. Gordon cooled off in the second half but didn’t chase his hot start. He limited himself to a highly efficient 27 points and added some flashy assists to Jokić as well.
KCP – B-
Offensively, that was the envisioned role when adding KCP to the Denver Nuggets. He knocked down open threes, swung the ball quickly when covered, and tried to occupy valuable space when uninvolved in the play. He played a crucial role in some quintessential ‘ball is popping’ possessions. Defensively, just about everyone struggled on the road again.
Bruce Brown – A
Brown turned in a great game off the bench. He ultimately played with both units, thanks to the stagger and decision to close with him over MPJ. Brown showed off his multi-tool skillset tallying nine assists while shooting 3 of 6 from deep. With no Bones Hyland, those nine assists were welcome — and it’s worth noting he had more help this time. Malone threw multiple starters at the bench minutes, and the rotation virtually maximized Brown’s impact.
Jeff Green – C
The aggressive stagger helped the Nuggets survive the non-Jokić minutes, and after Brown, Uncle Jeff logged the most minutes off the bench. He did grab four rebounds, which is about his limit, and stole the ball twice. But he washed that out with three turnovers. Green’s urgency is either non-existent or comes in spurts right now. He gave Denver just enough in OKC.
Zeke Nnaji – Left Early
Nnaji played in place of DeAndre Jordan and grabbed five rebounds in his first five minutes and change on the court. He was playing aggressively, and off to a much better start than his last stint, but his night was cut short after rolling an ankle.
Davon Reed
