Denver Nuggets: Grading the starting five from the win
By Mathew Huff
The starting five of the Denver Nuggets were a mixed bag in the win at Staples Center.
The Denver Nuggets overcame an 18 point deficit in the second half to go on to win by a final score of 113-111. On the night that the Rockies got NL Wild Card win over the Chicago Cubs, the Denver Nuggets also put together a sloppy albeit strong performance which netted them their second win in a row in a week, despite it being only preseason.
It was also their second win in a row over a LeBron James led Los Angeles Lakers squad with the likes of Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson and and a very young Brandon Ingram who looks poised to have a break out season.
Nikola Jokic had a strong outing and the young Monte Morris even showed spurts of potential as Jamal Murray and Isaiah Thomas were both out for this particular match up with the Lakers. Not only did the Nuggets show great resiliency in the second half despite being nearly 20 points down at one point, the team also showed some great chemistry despite missing their starting back court in Jamal Murray and Gary Harris.
Donald Sloan made some clutch plays which will go far in his case to make the active roster when the end of the preseason comes. However, for this article, we will be focusing on the starting five for this game and how they fared against this interesting Lakers squad.
Which starters shined and surprised and which ones were underwhelming and somewhat disappointing?
Without further adieu, let’s get started on the player grades for the starters.