Nuggets rout Grizzlies behind MPJ, move to 6-1 without injured Murray

In case you were still wondering, yes, Michael Porter Jr. has become a star.

Porter, the 14th-overall selection in the 2018 NBA Draft, is making a lot of teams look foolish for passing on him — and making the Nuggets look like a contender despite the loss of Jamal Murray due to a season-ending ACL injury.

After putting up 31 points Monday on another wildly efficient, 12-for-19 shooting night, the Nuggets’ 22-year-old forward hasn’t faltered under the weight that the loss of Murray’s scoring has placed on the team; he’s blossomed instead.

“I love when Michael is aggressive and he’s not just settling for jump shots,” said head coach Michael Malone. “We know how pretty that jump shot is, how effective that jump shot is; but when he can go to the basket, he has terrific size and length, and he works all of the time on his body. So, to use that strength, to get a big off of him, is really fun to watch.”

Porter Jr. has stepped up his scoring in the wake of Murray’s absence, averaging 25.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, while hitting 4.4 threes per game. As if his 59.1 percent shooting over the seven-game span wasn’t impressive enough, he’s also shooting a mind-bending 54.4 percent from three-point range.

The results have been remarkable; not only for Porter Jr., but for a Nuggets squad that most assumed would struggle without Murray, fellow point guard Monte Morris and off-guard Will Barton III. The Nuggets, now only two games behind the Clippers for the West’s No. 3 seed, clearly won’t go quietly into that good night… even though Porter Jr.’s shooting the lights out.

***

NEXT UP: Nuggets (40-21) vs. Pelicans (27-34) | Wednesday, Apr. 28 at 7:00 p.m.

***

TEAM NOTES

• The Nuggets held the Grizzlies to only four three-pointers on 32 attempts; a 12.5 percent rate that got even worse in the second half — Memphis hit only one of 16 (6.3 percent). “It was a good defensive night for us,” said center and MVP favorite Nikola Jokic.

• Denver has had a nasty habit of letting teams back in games all season long. Not on Monday, when the Nuggets extended their halftime lead in the third quarter, and proceeded to outscore the Grizzlies by 14 points in the final frame. “I really thought the key stretch was the end of the third quarter, start of the fourth quarter,” head coach Michael Malone said. “We went on a 24-4 run with our whole bench in the game. I thought those guys played terrific on both ends. To close a quarter like that and start the fourth quarter like that, that was tremendous.”

• The Nuggets’ 12-3 record in their last 15 games is the NBA’s best mark over that span… even though nearly half of them have been played after the team lost Jamal Murray for the season to an ACL injury. The Nuggets have gone 6-1 since.

***

PLAYER NOTES

• Aaron Gordon had 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting in an all-around effort that was impressive as any he’s had in a Nuggets uniform to date. Gordon’s defensive prowess is evident, but with so many injuries, Denver needs a little more firepower, and that means leaning on Gordon, too. “Almost every night, you know what you’re going to get from Michael (Porter Jr.) and Nikola (Jokic),” head coach Michael Malone said. “But other guys stepped up. We’re going to need that.”

• Facundo Campazzo has been playing big minutes as the Nuggets’ starting point guard while Monte Morris is out, and though his size is an issue, his effort isn’t. Regarding the defensive assignments (Portland’s Damian Lillard, Golden State’s Stephen Curry and Memphis’ Ja Morant) he’s drawn lately, the 30-year-old rookie admitted that he’s having something of a ‘pinch-me’ moment. “Two years ago, I was watching all these star players on TV,” Campazzo said. “Right now, I’m guarding them. I try to enjoy that. I try to compete and be smart, try to help the team.”

• Shaquille Harrison only scored three points in 19 minutes Monday, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Even though the Nuggets are woefully short on guards, Harrison’s been impressive enough to quickly earn major minutes and his teammates’ trust. After being asked on Monday about the defensive performances of teammates Aaron Gordon and P.J. Dozier, Nikola Jokic immediately mentioned Harrison along with them, saying that Harrison “was in there, as well.”

***

THE FINAL WORD

“Today, they (the Grizzlies) didn’t shoot the ball well. Maybe our defense is a part of that, maybe it’s their sixth game in nine nights or something like that. But I think we played really good; the ball was moving, everybody was selfless. So it was a good win for us — I mean, every win is a good win for us.” — Nikola Jokic.

***

ROTATION (MINUTES)

Starters
G Facundo Campazzo (30)
G-F P.J. Dozier (26)
F Michael Porter Jr. (36)
F Aaron Gordon (22)
C Nikola Jokic (29)

Bench
G Austin Rivers (29)
F JaMychal Green (19)
G Shaquille Harrison (19)
F Paul Millsap (14)
F Vlatko Cancar (4)
F Bol Bol (3)
G Markus Howard (3)
F Zeke Nnaji (3)
C JaVale McGee (DNP-CD)

***

INJURY WATCH

• Will Barton (hamstring) was injured on Apr. 23. Coach Michael Malone said Barton will be out “for the foreseeable future” on Apr. 24. It seems unlikely that he will be available until the playoffs, at the earliest.
• Monte Morris (hamstring) was injured on Apr. 16 and his return date is uncertain.
• Jamal Murray (torn left ACL) was injured in the final minute of the Apr. 12 game. His season is over, and realistically, Murray will be out until at least the 2022 All-Star break.

***

Shawn Drotar is the host of “The Fan Late Night with Shawn Drotar;” weeknights from 10:00 p.m. to midnight — only on 104.3 The Fan. Follow him on Twitter at @sdrotar.

Related

Shedeur Sanders won’t be the Week 1 starter for the BrownsBroncos star CB Pat Surtain II again voted a top-10 player in the NFLThe illusion that the Nuggets are a contender won’t survive the playoffsESPN gives Nuggets solid grade for DeMar DeRozan signingRockies lose ninth-straight at home, conclude 0-6 homestandJoe Sakic ‘confident’ Avs will reach deal with Cale Makar, ‘not really worried about it’