The Denver Nuggets dropped another close one, in double overtime to the Miami Heat. Big performances on both sides of the ball as the Heat move to 7th in the East.
Amid all that is going on with the Western Conference playoff race, it’s easy to feel disappointed in last night’s game.
Sure, the Heat were without notable players Dwyane Wade and Hassan Whiteside but they were 22-11 at home, own the 5th best defense in the NBA and are currently seventh in the East. As much as we feel it is so, there is no statistical reason to believe the Nuggets are a superior team to the Heat.
Adding a little perspective to last night’s game by taking it out of the context of the playoff race, we can call it a hard-fought road contest that would have swung the Nuggets way with a couple more lucky bounces.
At least, we’re going to tell ourselves that.
I don’t know how to describe, defend or attack Will Barton. During the course of any given game I’d like to see Barton cut, signed to an extension, shot into the sun or given ownership of the Nuggets. He is as maddening as he is confounding. For that reason, his grade, from me, for the rest of the season will be the shrugging emoji thing that I don’t know how to make.
Here are a couple of players that I do feel comfortable assigning grades: