Despite a close game, the Nuggets had some disappointing performances.
The Denver Nuggets came into the Staples Center on the tail end of a back to back and they were taken advantage of by the streaking Los Angeles Clippers.
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Thanks to strong performances from Blake Griffin and Montrezl Harrell, the Clippers were able to overcome the scrappy Nuggets. Denver had some strong performances in the first half, but everything and everyone faltered in the second half.
It is not how you start, but it is how you end the game when it comes to games in the NBA and the Clippers proved this. Denver had a nine point lead at half time, but Los Angeles made the proper adjustments. Coach Malone stuck with his out of whack lineup of Plumlee at the center and Jokic at the power forward and paid the price.
So, let’s assign some grades.
Gary Harris- B- If I am being honest, this may be a bit generous. He was held in check all of the second half, but in the first half, he was a force. Harris came away with four steals and also had a team high 19 points. He had a field goal percentage of 53.8% along with one three point shot. Denver needed him to be much more involved in the second half.
Nikola Jokic- B- Before you say he deserves a lower grade, remember he is playing power forward which he has never liked in the past. Despite playing out of position, he still came away with 18 points and eight rebounds. Yes, he did get bodied by Blake Griffin quite a bit,but he was not the only reason for the close loss.
Next: Nuggets slip against Clippers
Will Barton-D- Yes, one look at Barton’s stats says he was not that bad. However, Barton fell apart in the waning minutes. He tried to be the hero once again when the team needed it the least and it back fired. Barton tried to drive the baseline for the game tying shot and ended up turning the ball over. What makes it worse was Nikola Jokic had a size mismatch on the block with Wesley Johnson guarding him. If he would have just passed the ball for a better shot, his grade would be much higher.