Despite a one point loss, the Denver Nuggets had some great performances against the Boston Celtics.
Coach Malone really screwed up and gave the win to the Celtics by not calling a timeout when the Nuggets got the rebound with five seconds left.
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Regardless, it was still a great game and there were some notable performances. Nikola Jokic was efficient all game long and Trey Lyles was key coming off the bench leading the second unit.
Even Mason Plumlee stepped up and provided some crucial offensive rebounding in this game until he left with an injury.
Without further adieu, let’s assign some grades.
Nikola Jokic- A Jokic had a typical Joker game. He was efficient through the whole night, despite some questionable non calls on him in the first half. He had a double double at the beginning of the third quarter and finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Not to mention, his great distribution which resulted in five assists as well.
Trey Lyles- A- Lyles was a savior coming off the bench. He shot a remarkable 70% from the field and had the three point shot going. He also grabbed seven boards and meshed well with the Joker in the final minutes of the game. He did get a bit overzealous with the long range shot at times and slipped the pick too much, but other than that, he did what needed to be done. When Plumlee went down, he served his role and stepped up.
Next: Nuggets vs. Celtics: Takeaways
Mason Plumlee- B+ After a rough month of play, it was good to see Plumlee have a solid outing. He left in the third quarter after chasing after miss of his on a free throw and needed to help going into the locker room. Before that though, he was a force at the rim and was grabbing key rebounds left and right. He finished the night with 16 points and eight rebounds.