You’ve probably asked yourself who have been the players in the Denver Nuggets’ best five-man lineups.
The Denver Nuggets are still alive in the first round, now down 3-2 to the Utah Jazz after a scintillating win in Game 5.
Although coming back from a 3-1 deficit is uncommon, there is reason to believe that they’ve found some answers to Utah’s incessant driving and pick-and-roll play. Nuggets head coach Michael Malone will benefit from the return of defensive-minded starter Gary Harris, who has a real possibility of playing in Game 6, but Harris hasn’t played competitive basketball in more than 5 minutes and his conditioning will be a factor. That means that Malone will still have to rely on the players that have been on the court throughout the series.
Below, I’ve compiled what I believe are the five best lineups that Denver has used against Utah. Each of these lineups has Jamal Murray, Jerami Grant and Nikola Jokic in them, who’ll have to rest eventually. However, the players that are placed around them will be the key to their success.
1. Grant, Jokic, Murray, Porter, Dozier
(13 minutes, 1 game)
+25, 59.3% FG, 55.6% 3PT
Opp eFG% (41.2), Opp turnover ratio (15.4%)
This is the lineup that the Nuggets’ used to close out Game 5 against the Jazz and there was plenty to like about it. The team’s two best scorers in Murray and Jokic are complimented by their third-most deadly scorer and 3-point shooter in Michael Porter Jr. Between Grant and P.J. Dozier, the team has two plus-defenders who are long and athletic. Where Grant has shown the ability to slow down Donovan Mitchell from the perimeter (at times) and alter shots around the rim with weakside help, Dozier has shown himself to be great at stopping dribble penetration and to make intuitive reads on the defensive end.
Porter’s defense at the end of the game contributed to the success of this lineup in the fourth quarter of Game 5 but this lineup works because the players compliment each other. Hopefully, Malone plays this group regularly for the rest of the series, especially as they showed themselves to be the best group he has in terms of turning turnovers into points.
2. Grant, Jokic, Murray, Morris, Craig
(14 minutes, 4 games)
+7, 52% FG, 53.8% 3PT
Opp eFG% (36.7), Opp turnover ratio (3.3%)
- Similar to the first lineup, this is a group with balance between their offense and defense. While Jokic and Murray are once again in this group providing excellent scoring option, Grant continues to compliment the pair as a two-way player. Meanwhile, Monte Morris helps ease the ball pressure from Murray and has shown himself to be a timely scorer. Torrey Craig, whose defense hasn’t been up to his usual standards, still provides value on that end and has made 42.9% of his threes this postseason, fulfilling a 3-and-D archetype. The Jazz have had little success scoring in the paint against this lineup, with just 3.0 points in the paint per game.
3. Grant, Jokic, Murray, Craig, Porter
(17 minutes, 5 games)
+4, 51.4% FG, 46.2% 3PT
Opp eFG% (67.9), Opp turnover ratio (21.6%)
- This, quite frankly, isn’t a great defensive lineup. This is primarily because of Porter’s issues containing dribble penetration and his teammates not always being able to help cover for each other on that end with timely rotations or weakside help. However, the offense has been able to minimize the damage from their defensive shortcomings, which makes sense when you consider that Murray, Jokic, Porter and Grant are the teams four best scorers. Not to mention, Grant is the only player in this group shooting below 42.9% from 3, with 37.5% shooting from outside. Interestingly, this group has arguably been the best at generating turnovers.
4. Millsap, Grant, Porter, Jokic, Murray
(13 minutes, 3 games)
+5, 35.7% FG, 38.5% 3PT
Opp eFG% (43.8), Opp turnover ratio (14.3%)
- It’s kind of crazy that the only lineup you’ll see on this list that has Paul Millsap in it is this one but unfortunately, Millsap has been but a shadow of the player we’ve all known him to be this postseason. While he’ll make the occasional defensive play and his combination of basketball IQ and experience is unmatched by anyone on this roster, he’s just as prone to getting beat off-the-dribble as Porter and he’s only shooting 41.7% from inside the arc. All that said, this lineup has great length with three forwards and a center playing behind Murray and it’s aided this group in forcing stops and generating turnovers. Unfortunately, although there should be plenty of space on the floor with the 3-point shooting prowess of this group, they haven’t been the most efficient five-man lineup for the Nuggets.
5. Grant, Jokic, Murray, Dozier, Morris
(9 minutes, 2 games)
+0, 61.5% FG, 80% 3PT
Opp eFG% (72.2), Opp turnover ratio (18.2%)
- Great offensive play neutralizes the poor defensive play of this group. One of the smaller lineups that the Nuggets have played with three point guards on the floor, Denver should be having more success stopping dribble penetration. However, while Dozier and Murray are solid in this area, Morris hasn’t been. Meanwhile, Jokic’s defense remains inconsistent. Fortunately, on the offensive side, their quickness and ability to run the offense from both sides of the floor due to the presence of Murray is ideal. As is their ability to have their two stars on the floor.
All stats gathered from NBA Advanced Stats.