The Nuggets came about as close to making the playoffs as you could before falling short Wednesday. Despite a monster effort from Nikola Jokic, they fell 112-106 in overtime. Here’s how every Nuggets player fared in the loss.
*Our game grades are dictated by our Dynamic Player Rating (DPR), which take into account 12 different statistical factors.
Nikola Jokic (A-) 78.10 — Jokic put the team on his back Greg Jennings style with 17 third-quarter points. During that 12-minute stretch, Jokic hit all seven of the shots he took, three of which were three-pointers. It was a brilliant display from The Joker, who finished with 35 points and 10 rebounds. Denver outscored Minnesota by seven points in Jokic’s 46 minutes on the floor. It got outscored by 13 points in the seven minutes he sat. Jokic did everything short of delivering the knockout blow down the stretch. Overall, it was a phenomenal performance.
Will Barton (B-) 66.99 — Say this for Barton: He’s not afraid of big moments. He came out gunning in the biggest game of his career, scoring 11 first-quarter points on seven shots. He carried Denver in the first half before Jokic picked up the slack in the third quarter. He wound up with 24 points on 5-10 three-point shooting.
Jamal Murray (B-) 63.04 — Murray struggled to get going, but he still hit some huge shots late. In the fourth quarter, he connected on two stepback jumpers and a twisting layup where he lost a shoe. Murray was nails in crunch time this season for Denver. The 21-year-old’s future is bright.
Wilson Chandler (D-) — It seems almost impossible to play 48 minutes and score zero points. That’s what Chandler did Wednesday, becoming just the third player ever to earn that distinction. He didn’t make much of an impact in Denver’s biggest game of the season.
Paul Millsap (C-) — Millsap finished the season with two rough scoring nights. He had six on 2-10 shooting in the win over Portland and followed that up with 10 on 3-8 shooting against Minnesota. He was tasked with guarding Karl-Anthony Towns for most of the game, which is not an easy draw. Still, it seemed like Denver needed more from him.
Gary Harris (D+) 44.40 — It was Harris’ second game back from a right knee strain. He understandably looked a little rusty. Harris scored 10 points on 4-10 shooting. Denver got outscored by 18 points in the 21 minutes he spent on the floor.
Mason Plumlee (C-) 50.35 — Plumlee took one shot — an alley-oop — and he made it. He also grabbed four rebounds in 12 minutes. Denver got hammered when he was in the game, though. Plumlee was a minus-12.
Devin Harris (C-) 51.08 — Harris was moved to Denver from Dallas to shore up the Nuggets’ playoff odds. Denver falling one game short had to be a tough pill to swallow for the 35-year-old veteran, who scored four points, grabbed two rebounds and was responsible for one assist in what was potentially his final game with the Nuggets.
