Denver Nuggets: Player grades coming off a big win vs. OKC

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – AUGUST 03: Michael Porter Jr. #1 of the Denver Nuggets handles the ball against Abdel Nader #11 of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first half at The Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 3, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Photo by Kim Klement-Pool/Getty Images) /

Michael Porter Jr. – A

With his teammates looking for him to score, Michael Porter Jr. got a few easy layups early on in the contest and apparently the basket looked about the size of a hula-hoop the remainder of the day. By the end of the contest, Porter led the team in minutes played at 44 and also led in with a career-high 37 points and 12 rebounds.

MPJ came to play and was exceptionally solid throughout the entire game and on both sides of the ball. It was a complete turnaround from his effort against Miami where he could never really get going.

He looked like a legitimate starting forward for a deep and very talented Nuggets team.

Paul Millsap – B+

Headband Paul didn’t make an appearance today but luckily Playoff Paul did. Millsap (17 points, 6 rebounds) looked like he had returned to his old form from before the COVID-19 stoppage. He was a dominant force on the defensive end an picked his spots attacking the basket and shooting from range.

Though he only made one 3-pointer, he was still able to take advantage of mismatches in the post. He was close to an A grade for me but he picked up a couple of costly fouls, including the last foul of regulation against Chris Paul. Paul fortunately missed one of the free-throws, allowing Denver to take the game to overtime and play for the win.

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