The Denver Nuggets led 90-89 late in the final leg of their five-game road trip. They looked primed to pick up their sixth straight win and cap off a 5-0 trip as they prepare for a brutal stretch of schedule upon returning home. But the turnovers and general lack of discipline reared their ugly heads. Malone turned away from Michael Porter Jr. and JaMychal Green in favor of a four-guard lineup to close out the game. It didn’t work, and Denver must settle for 4-1 after the 119-109 loss.
Let’s go to the grades:
Nikola Jokić – A
Jokić had been in a slump from beyond the arc, and he missed his first five attempts against the Spurs. Something clicked for him in the second half, but it wasn’t necessarily a change in approach. “The mindset was the same,” he told reporters after the game. “Just, if you’re open, shoot it.”
Jokić did just that, knocking down five of his next six attempts from deep as he tried to produce more late-game magic. He was spectacular, finishing with 35 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists on 14/24 shooting. He scored 23 of those 35 in the second half, but it wasn’t enough. The Nuggets failed to play the right way down the stretch, which cost them a winnable game.
Jamal Murray – B
Murray opened this game with a first-quarter flurry. Before the game started, Michael Malone fielded a question regarding Murray turning down easy looks in favor of more difficult ones. Malone opened it up to the entire team, challenging them to stay shot ready — particularly from three-point range. That message reached Murray, who shot 4/5 from the field in the first quarter, including 2/2 from deep. He played a solid game overall, finishing with 20 efficient points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists. But he looked in a lot of pain as he labored through the pivotal stretch of the game. That first quarter was his highlight, and the fourth featured some lows. He struggled to contain Dejounte Murray, who turned in one of his best games of the season.
After the game, Murray responded candidly to a question about his health:
“Man, how am I feeling? My elbow bruised. I got a sprained left shoulder…I got a big bruise on my glute…but it’s fine…I’m still playing pretty well through that.”
Will Barton – C
Barton did it again Friday night. He started hot, scoring 7 first-quarter points on 3/5 shooting, then spent the next three quarters struggling on offense and getting worked on the other end of the floor. He struggled out there, yet Malone turned to him to play—virtually—the power forward position to close out the game. Porter, Green, and even Paul Millsap were stuck on the bench as a four-guard lineup muffed it.
Gary Harris – C+
Harris scored 11 points and knocked down 2/5 attempts from deep. There was no obvious matchup for Harris to apply his game-swinging defensive impact. He did spend some time on DeMar DeRozan in the fourth, which was DeRozan’s quietest stretch of the game, but that was too little too late. DeRozan — who mostly had his way with Barton — finished with 30 points and 10 assists on 11/14 from the field.
Paul Millsap – C+
What stands out most about Millsap’s performance is that he wasn’t even an option in the fourth quarter. Folks wanted to see MPJ or Green out there over Barton, but you won’t see much handwringing over Millsap’s absence. That’s been the way of things this season. He plays early, occasionally making a positive impact in the first half. Then Malone turns the reigns over to someone else. He took just two shots and hit 6/8 from the charity stripe to comprise his 8 points.
Michael Porter Jr. – C+
Porter didn’t get an opportunity to improve this grade down the stretch, and he should have. Not necessarily because he earned it in the first three quarters — I thought Porter looked particularly disconnected from his teammates in San Antonio, and spent a lot of time either flat footed or plodding around — but because he has the ability to turn a bad game into a great one with one stretch. The Nuggets needed offense in that fourth quarter, and they couldn’t generate much with the lineups Malone deployed. It was painful to watch knowing two or three big shots from Porter could have changed the complexion of his own performance and the result for the Nuggets. He scored 9 points on 3/5 shooting and 2/3 from deep in 18:52 played.
JaMychal Green – C+
Green and Porter have been so effective on this trip — whether alongside each other or not. Neither got the chance to win this game for Denver when it mattered. Green only took two shots in virtually 20 minutes of playing time. He knocked down his one attempt from deep — his only points of the game — and pulled down 7 rebounds.
Monte Morris – C+
The three key pieces of the bench struggled to make a winning impact. Morris was fine, scoring 10 points on 4/10 shooting and recording 3 assists. But he, Green, and Porter finished the game a -15, and -16 respectively. Morris was also part of the group that failed to close the game down the stretch.
Facundo Campazzo – C-
Campazzo’s first stint? Great. Campazzo’s subsequent minutes? Terrible.
Isaiah Hartenstein – C+
Curiously, Malone turned back to Hartenstein, previously shackled to the end of the bench. I’m not sure if this counts as trusting Hartenstein, however. He only played in the first half, logging 5:08 total.
