The Nelson Redemption: Player Grades from Denver's Win
Jan 24, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Utah Jazz center Boris Diaw (33) defends against Denver Nuggets guard Jameer Nelson (1) in the fourth quarter at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets defeated the Jazz 103-93. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Veteran guard Jameer Nelson came in the clutch for Denver on Tuesday night, icing Utah’s 4th quarter comeback and securing a double-digit victory for the 8th place Nuggets.
After taking some heat for his performance against Minnesota just two days earlier, Jameer Nelson upped his game and scored 17 points on 6/8 shooting. More importantly, he scored 7 points in the final 2 minutes and 7 seconds of the game, thwarting Utah’s comeback, which narrowed a 17-point Denver lead to just 4 points late in the 4th. Nelson also added 7 assists to his box score totals, adding to Denver’s 28 team assists, an area in which they dominated the Jazz.
The Jokic effect is real. When Nikola Starts, this Denver team moves, and moves the ball. The young Serbian has jolted the Denver Nuggets with a newfound momentum that has infected his teammates. And while Jameer Nelson’s clutch performance down the stretch might have stolen the show, it did not come without another (classic?) stat-line from Jokic, who got the better of Utah’s potential all-star center Rudy Gobert, who is the NBA’s leading shot-blocker and a unanimous top-3 defensive big.
As a team, Denver shot just over 46% from the field, while also going 38.5% from three-point land and just over 74% from the line. None of these numbers stand out, nor should they. All in all, it was a mediocre night for the Nuggets, who could have seen another night of absolute fire, had they maintained the momentum that gave them a 17 point lead in the 3rd quarter. But they didn’t, and the continued struggles with closing out games may be Denver’s biggest issue moving forward. In any regard, Tuesday’s win came thanks to a few stand-out performances, and nearly slipped away thanks to a couple of duds.
Jan 16, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari (8), Denver Nuggets forward Nikola Jokic (15), and Denver Nuggets guard Jameer Nelson (1) celebrate during the first half against the Orlando Magic at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Nelson and Nikola led the way, but Darrell Arthur also had a hot hand, scoring a season-high 16 points.
With Emmanuel Mudiay out due to lower back soreness, Nelson stepped up. He took some questionable shots, they continued to drop. “Mighty Mouse” was back in full form, running pick and rolls well, and finding his shots along with his teammates, as he added 7 assists to his 17 points, without turning the ball over once. Considering that fact, and that Nelson also went 3/4 on three-point attempts (and 6/8 overall), it only seems fair that Nelson receive the highest grade possible, as he absolutely killed it against Utah. Nelson also had the highest +/- of any player in Tuesday’s match-up, at +10.
And so many of us were ready to ditch Jameer… shame on us!
Jameer Nelson
PG, Denver Nuggets
Nikola Jokic had another, and what has now become typical, stat-stuffing performance in Tuesday’s game, as he finished with 23 points on 9/16 shooting, to go along with 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks, 2 steals, and a perfect 100% efficiency from the free-throw line. Jokic came out of halftime with just one assist before setting the third quarter on fire, and sparking Denver’s mid-game push that would eventually hold on to win them the game. Unlike Nelson though, Jokic did turn the ball over a few times, as he would end with 4 total turnovers. But with his impressive box score and continued momentus play, especially considering his match-up with Rudy Gobert, who’s incredible double-double run came to an end thanks to Jokic and the Nuggets, he too is deserving of nothing less than an A.
Nikola Jokic
C, Denver Nuggets
Darrell Arthur came out of the gates hot and never really cooled off. He started the game by making 3/3 shots, all of which came in the 1st quarter, in direct succession, and from three-point land. Utah was starting to open up a serious early lead, but then Arthur gave Denver three straight three-point possessions, closing the double-digit deficit to just one point. He would end with a season-high 16 points on 5/7 shooting, retaining his perfect 3/3 from downtown, to go along with 8 rebounds, an assist, and a steal, without committing a single turnover. With his incredibly sharp self-awareness, season-high performance, and potentially game-saving run in the 1st quarter, Darrel Arthur, like Jameer Nelson, had an essentially flawless night. Give that man an A!
Darrell Arthur
PF, Denver Nuggets
Along with this triad of key performers, Denver saw a handful of duds, especially coming off of their bench.
The Will’s (Wilson Chandler and Will Barton) were both more or less irrelevant to Denver’s offense, as the two generally high scoring bench threats combined for a total of 8 points in their shared 40 minutes of court time. Yikes. Barton shot just 1/7 from the field for 5 points to go with a couple assists, 4 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 turnover. Chandler went a measly 1/4, to end with 3 points, 2 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 turnovers. Lackluster would be a good adjective for their performances against Utah, earning them both less-than-average grades after this one.
Will Barton
SG, Denver Nuggets
C-
Wilson Chandler
SF, Denver Nuggets
Adding to Denver’s list of duds is Danilo Gallinari, though his was much less disappointing, as Gallo did break double-digit scoring, complimented by hitting a perfect 4/4 from the line and 1/1 from beyond. Gallo only scored 11 points, but he new to let the hot hands take over, AND he threw down one heck of a monster dunk. The dunk alone deserves a some attention, so what the heck, we’re giving Gallo a B.
Danilo Gallinari
SF, Denver Nuggets
Once again, the king-dud is going to Jusuf Nurkic. Nurkic’s story is an unfortunate one, especially after he looked so promising in the pre-season and into the first few games of the regular season. But he has fallen off since then, becoming a bit of a turnover machine. Nurkic’s minutes have been dwindling because of this, and while the big man has some serious skills around the basket, his over confidence has unfortunately cost him his efficiency. Against the Jazz, he scored 2 points to go with his 2 turnovers, which he committed in just 7 minutes of play.
Nobody likes to hand out an F, but sometimes your hand is forced.
Jusuf Nurkic
C, Denver Nuggets
F
Jan 24, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) shoots the ball while falling to the floor after a foul in the fourth quarter against the Utah Jazz at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 103-93. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Among Denver’s mid-level performers were Gary Harris, Kenneth Faried, and Jamal Murray.
Faried saw an average night, scoring 11 points on 4/8 shooting to go along with his 7 rebounds. Harris was a bit sub-par, as he barely broke double-digits, scoring 10 points on 4-10 shooting, to go along with 2 assists and 2 rebounds. Murray only scored 5 points, but, he did dish out 5 assists in his 17 minutes of playing time, showcasing his passing ability, and making his case for being Denver’s future point guard, alone or in tandem with Emmanuel Mudiay. All in all, these players had an average night, with Jamal Murray’s seeing a slight bump in overall appreciation thanks to his status as a rookie, his welcome passing, and a highlight layup in which he switched hands mid-air to finish in the face of his defender.
Gary Harris
SG, Denver Nuggets
C
Kenneth Faried
PF, Denver Nuggets
C+
Jamal Murray
PG/SG, Denver Nuggets
B-
Jan 24, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) drives to the net against Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors (15) and forward Gordon Hayward (20) in the fourth quarter at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets defeated the Jazz 103-93. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
And so it was.
The Nuggets had a few key players step up against the Jazz, and they are owed this win. Gordon Hayward and Rudy Gobert were more or less contained, which may hint at Denver’s growing ability to quiet the stars that they must face. But still, closing out the game proved to be a struggle once more, saved this time by the grace that was Jameer Nelson’s right hand. But even in the face of less-than-reliable closing efforts, the Nuggets have acquired a decent amount of momentum, and may just be able to hold onto their current 8th seed in the West yet.
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