Porter goes scoreless, as most Nuggets fire blanks in loss to Boston
Feb 17, 2021, 6:44 AM
Nikola Jokic was his usual, sterling self. The rest of his teammates? Not so much.
Jokic scored 29 first-half points on his way to a 43-point night that might have easily been 50, had not been carrying the entire team on his burly shoulders. The Nuggets were woefully shorthanded on Tuesday night — Gary Harris, Will Barton, Paul Millsap, Monte Morris and P.J. Dozier were all unavailable — but points still have to come from somewhere in an NBA game, and Denver didn’t get them from far too many significant players.
Michael Porter Jr. went 0-for-8 from the field in 24 minutes on the floor, leading the team in rebounds with seven, but walking away with a goose egg on the score sheet. Porter’s game has fallen off a cliff since he’s started to share the court with Jokic and Jamal Murray. In his last seven outings, the 22-year-old is averaging a partly 9.4 points per game, while shooting an abysmal 34.7 percent. Porter shows flashes at times, but too often seems uncertain about when he should defer to his more accomplished teammates, leading to him attempting far too many catch-and-shoot three-point attempts instead of utilizing his varied offensive skill set.
On this night, however, there was plenty of blame to go around. JaMychal Green, starting along with Porter due to the team’s many injuries, scored a paltry two points in 29 minutes, and recently heralded rookies R.J. Hampton and Zeke Nnaji combined for only six points in 50 minutes.
“(Jokic) needs help,” head coach Michael Malone said after the game. “We’re playing a back-to-back, and every night Nikola goes out there and literally puts this team on his back. He just needs some guys to step up and help him.”
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NEXT UP: Nuggets (15-12) at Wizards (8-17) | Wednesday, Feb. 17 at 6:00 p.m.
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TEAM NOTES
• After Michael Porter Jr. and JaMychal Green finished the game a combined 1-for-15 in 53 minutes, head coach Michael Malone was sanguine about the players’ performance. “I can’t make shots,” Malone explained. “That’s one thing I can’t do from the bench. I mean, Michael Porter rebounded the ball, but right now, in the last five, six, seven games, he’s really struggling to make shots, especially from the three-point line. We know he’ll bounce back. He’s too good of a shooter not to. JaMychal Green, same thing. He’s getting good looks, had a couple shots that went in and out, around the basket from three, we’ve just got to stay with guys.”
• The Nuggets would be well-advised to try and get to the foul line more often instead of chucking threes left and right. Besides Nikola Jokic’s 3-for-5 night and Jamal Murray’s 4-for-8, the rest of the Nuggets shot a combined 2-for-21 (.095).
• The Nuggets’ 15-12 (.555) record represents a significant drop off from last season. For comparison, the Nuggets started last season 26-12 (.684) before making a run to the Western Conference Finals.
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PLAYER NOTES
• Nikola Jokic has scored 43 or more points in three of his last eight games, using his season average to 27.1.
• Jamal Murray scored 25 points, good for second on the team, but he had a whopping nine turnovers on Tuesday, a fact that he lamented afterward. “I put this game on me, because I don’t think I’ve ever had nine turnovers. (That’s) nine plays; nine possessions we could’ve had back.” Head coach Michael Malone didn’t exactly disagree. “Jamal tried to get it going, but he can’t have nine turnovers on the road as our starting guard. And he knows that.”
• Michael Porter Jr. is shooting only 2-for-18 (.111) from behind the arc over the last three games. He’s not even trying to get to the basket anymore, drawing only two free throw attempts in that span.
• Will Barton has missed the Nuggets’ last two games due to personal reasons. It’s not known whether he’ll be available Wednesday against Washington.
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THE FINAL WORD
“Other guys have to find ways to contribute, but it speaks to how well Nikola is playing. He leaves it all out there every night. That’s why he’s an MVP candidate, obviously, but it can’t be just one guy in this league.” — Head coach Michael Malone
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INJURY WATCH
• Monte Morris (shoulder) missed the Feb. 16 game against the Celtics and is day-to-day.
• Paul Millsap (left knee sprain) didn’t return after halftime on Feb. 14. He is day-to-day.
• Gary Harris (left thigh strain) left the Jan. 31 game and did not return. He is out until further notice.
• P.J. Dozier (right hamstring strain) has been out since Jan. 26. He is day-to-day.
• Greg Whittington (left knee) underwent arthroscopic surgery on Jan. 19 and was expected to miss four-to-six weeks.
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ROTATION (MINUTES)
Starters:
G Jamal Murray (33)
G Facundo Campazzo (40)
F Michael Porter Jr. (24)
F JaMychal Green (29)
C Nikola Jokic (35)
Bench:
F-C Zeke Nnaji (26)
G R.J. Hampton (24)
C-F Isaiah Hartenstein (10)
G Markus Howard (10)
F Vlatko Cancar (6)
C-F Bol Bol (DNP-CD)
