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Denver's front court vs. Memphis' back court --- nothing new for us.

Morant averages almost 20 ppg - can we hold him below that?
Brooks & Valanciunas average around 17 ppg. - so their front court plays decently too.

Memphis scores a faction of a point more than Denver on the year;
but they hold their opponents to about 5 points less than they score. Expect Denver to face a team that hustles.

I mean, I wouldnt mind PJ-Rivers SG combo next year

+ Great defense
+ MPJ was great
+ Joker 10/10 FTs

- Missed layups
- Went cold from 3

Overall, Nuggets took advantage of a team coming off a back-to-back and had to win this game which they did.

The team has turned far more defensive and it might benefit them in the postseason honestly. Amazing job by Connely in getting Rivers, Harrison, Gordon and Dozier. They are gritty and making things happen right now. It makes things exciting for the playoffs even without Murray.

Sidenote also, MPJ has gotten a different grit to him of late that has been great to see and watch.

OMG, just watched Bol Bol drive on line one step.

Good win vs good team. Jokic will win MVP award this season, but after trade deadline when perfect fit Gordon comes and MPJ breakthrough into all-star level Denver don't have only best frontcourt player in the league but overall best frontcourt line in the league. Rest of the team deserves also big credit today, they didn't collapse when Jokic and Porter are both on the bench but even make our lead bigger.

psimanic1 wrote:I mean, I wouldnt mind PJ-Rivers SG combo next year

Thinking about that made me throw up in my neck.

Truthfully, it wasn't a real impressive win for Denver. But that isn't meant as criticism. They just played their own game and wore down Memphis until in the 4th quarter, they just walked away from Memphis. Talent made a difference, sure; but so did energy levels. Memphis was coming off a back-to-back at the end of a seven game road trip. They played a lot of bench guys, five of them in double digit minutes.

The Nuggets took more shots and hit a higher percentage - both expected IMO. Memphis was ice cold from 3pt range and that helped. Other than that, Denver didn't really dominate too much - not even in the O-rebounds.

The only thing I'd complain about is the lack of motion - again. The Nuggets' bench was just 3-3 from the FT line. Great shooting but not many free throws. Except for Jokic, the starters were 5-9 from the FT line; again, not many FTs.

On the other hand, the game the Nuggets played could be a style that provides wins in the playoffs. Defense has improved IMO.

Maf wrote:

psimanic1 wrote:I mean, I wouldnt mind PJ-Rivers SG combo next year

Thinking about that made me throw up in my neck.

You're funny Maf --- but I agree with you, for now. I like Rivers off the bench (or maybe as a starter even), but I'm not ready for Dozier playing so many minutes. It seems to me he is pushing his game too hard. I understand that. This is his chance to show what he can do. I like his defense, but his offense reminds me too much of Barton. I'd like to see him become a motion-guy on offense. If more than half of his shots came from within 3 feet of the basic, he could be awesome.

Maf wrote:

psimanic1 wrote:I mean, I wouldnt mind PJ-Rivers SG combo next year

Thinking about that made me throw up in my neck.

Why exactly? You get PJ who plays good D, and he can be what Jokic needs from his SG if he just gets bit more exp., and then you have Rivers from the bench to try and fire it up with some shooting..
So,
Murray, Dozier, Gordon, MPJ, Jokic
Morris, Rivers, Bol, Nnaji, Green, McGee and Facu from the bench.. That looks good when healthy

MPJ still has a ways to go, but his development has been very encouraging. He has really stepped up as strong no.2 to Jokic all season.

What I saw was two veterans in Rivers and Harrison blending seamlessly into the bench while bringing great defensive effort. Memphis may have been tired but you have to give credit to Malone for forging a new identity for the Nuggets based on defense along with Jokic and MPJ in a two man game.

psimanic1 wrote:

Maf wrote:

psimanic1 wrote:I mean, I wouldnt mind PJ-Rivers SG combo next year

Thinking about that made me throw up in my neck.

Why exactly? You get PJ who plays good D, and he can be what Jokic needs from his SG if he just gets bit more exp., and then you have Rivers from the bench to try and fire it up with some shooting..
So,
Murray, Dozier, Gordon, MPJ, Jokic
Morris, Rivers, Bol, Nnaji, Green, McGee and Facu from the bench.. That looks good when healthy

Do I really have to explain why I hate the idea of having two shooting guards who can't shoot? They can't shoot threes, they can't shoot free throws, they just can't shoot.

Austin's crossover is really KILLER, give him that. Beauty to watch. Doesn't change the fact that he immediately drop at bottom of every stats possible on our team. And if you'd try to argue that he is new on the team this is story of his life. His whole career he is negative player for his teams.

I have to get back to this- and then you have Rivers from the bench to try and fire it up with some shooting..

Fire it up with his career 48.7 eFG%... This number is so low that even Facu shoots more efficiently. Even Garry Harris in his last years shot better.

Maf wrote:

psimanic1 wrote:

Maf wrote:

Thinking about that made me throw up in my neck.

Why exactly? You get PJ who plays good D, and he can be what Jokic needs from his SG if he just gets bit more exp., and then you have Rivers from the bench to try and fire it up with some shooting..
So,
Murray, Dozier, Gordon, MPJ, Jokic
Morris, Rivers, Bol, Nnaji, Green, McGee and Facu from the bench.. That looks good when healthy

Do I really have to explain why I hate the idea of having two shooting guards who can't shoot? They can't shoot threes, they can't shoot free throws, they just can't shoot.

Austin's crossover is really KILLER, give him that. Beauty to watch. Doesn't change the fact that he immediately drop at bottom of every stats possible on our team. And if you'd try to argue that he is new on the team this is story of his life. His whole career he is negative player for his teams.

I have to get back to this- and then you have Rivers from the bench to try and fire it up with some shooting..

Fire it up with his career 48.7 eFG%... This number is so low that even Facu shoots more efficiently. Even Garry Harris in his last years shot better.

Not everyone has yo shoot 3s..it helps, but check Rockets last few years full of 3pt shooters and where did it get them?

Currently, the duo with the highest net rating in the NBA (>350 minutes played) is Michael Porter Jr. and PJ Dozier.

353 minutes (sss)
120.5 O Rating
97.9 D Rating (best)
+22.6 Net Rating (best)

This is out of 842 qualified duos.