The Denver Nuggets rested Paul Millsap and sat Aaron Gordon (right calf tightness) in the second game of a back-to-back Saturday night. Michael Malone turned to the end of the bench for long stretches as the Nuggets opened up a substantial first-half lead over the Brooklyn Nets. But Blake Griffin caught fire in the third, while Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant turned in tremendous performances. The magic dried up for Denver in the second half, and they turned to the MVP late in a close game. Brooklyn got Physical, Jokić played for the whistle, and the officials swallowed theirs. Fouls or not, the big guy missed some shots as the Nets stole a win on their way out of Ball Arena.
Let’s go to the grades:
Nikola Jokić – B+
Jokić missed all five of his attempts from deep Saturday night, and that’s probably the difference between a good performance and a great one. We’d also probably have avoided the final minutes of the game, which included Jokić missing shots around the rim he’s made look automatic throughout his career. There was plenty of contact, and Jokić wanted the calls. He never re-focused when they stopped coming. He played for the whistle and argued the lack of one to the very end, earning a technical as the final seconds ticked away.
No respect for the MVP? pic.twitter.com/OQ4akNadYE
— Joel Rush (@JoelRushjk) May 9, 2021
Does Jokić have a case? Absolutely. Most superstars get these calls, and I recognize it’s that simple for some folks. But the reality is, calls or not, we’ve seen Jokić push through and come through in those scenarios time and time again. He did not Saturday night.
Michael Porter Jr. – A-
Porter scored the first 11 points for Denver in less than three minutes. He was thermonuclear and seemingly treating it as a personal showcase game. It was scintillating. He looked lethal out of the catch and shoot, manipulative with his pump fakes, and focused with his footwork. He seemed virtually unstoppable and arguably outplayed Kevin Durant straight up in the first half. The comparison comes naturally at this point, although the comparisons between the two are perhaps more prevalent than apt.
Porter is so far ahead of what we could reasonably expect. It’s important not to confuse the natural growing pains with set-in-stone deficiencies and confuse observations with categorical criticisms. We observed something less than greatness in the second half. After dropping 21 points in the first two frames, he only scored seven more for the remainder of the game. Porter second-guessed himself in transition when he saw Kevin Durant as the lone defender between him and the rim. He should score easily and naturally in those moments, but he shrank. Late in the fourth, with Denver down three, Porter took too wide an angle when receiving a DHO from Jokić and didn’t cut through hard enough either. Jeff Green was able to blow up the play and force a jump ball.
Porter was tremendous, and these repetitions are essential. He saw he could be the best player on the floor even against a team like Brooklyn, but he also saw it needs to be a four-quarter effort. Onward.
Facundo Campazzo – B+
Campazzo stole the ball three times and recorded five assists against Brooklyn. He scored 19 points as well. His effort was tremendous on the defensive end, as highlighted by the possession below:
https://t.co/l8wzia8pRb pic.twitter.com/M3NIdIJeVN
— chillers of the flower moon (@leoblix) May 9, 2021
For all the effort, Brooklyn could simply shoot over the top of him at times, and his primary assignment, Irving, had himself a night. But that’s what Irving does, and Campazzo was hardly the only victim. It was another quality performance from the once third-string point guard turned starter.
Austin Rivers – B
With no Gordon in the lineup, Rivers slid into the starting group at SG. He scored 12 points, grabbed five rebounds, stole the ball twice, and hit some big shots. It’s hard to ask for much more from Rivers right now.
JaMychal Green – D+
Green is not hitting his shots. He could have made up for it all with a simple rebound and put-back that might have sent the game to overtime and at least extended Denver’s chances. But he flubbed it. He flubbed it badly. Denver needs more from JaMychal, who started in place of Millsap.
Vlatko Čančar – C
Vlatko led all players off the bench in minutes Saturday night, although he was more or less a non-factor out there. Malone was comfortable losing this game, which all makes sense after a glance at the NBA standings this morning.
Shaq Harrison – C+
Harrison recorded four assists and blocked a shot. It’s pretty hard for a player like him to stand out on a second-unit like the one Malone threw together for Brooklyn.
Bol Bol – D
Bol played meaningful minutes against Brooklyn again. They went horribly, again.
JaVale McGee – D+
McGee was a loose cannon out there — firing shots left, right, straight ahead, and straight behind. No one was safe. Not even his teammates.
Markus Howard – B-
If there’s any lingering doubt about whether that was a soft flop from Malone, consider that Howard checked in during the second quarter. He proceeded to score a career-high 13 points, 10 of which came in that frame.
As Denver’s lead peaked out in the first half, so did The Vibes at The Bar as even Howard got in on the action. The Nuggets were playing the very end of the bench, and they opened up a big lead on one of the best teams in the league. That hope melted fast, and Howard looked terrible in his second stint. But he made the most of a rare opportunity. Good for him.
