The Nuggets snapped a two-game skid with a solid win in Los Angeles, keeping the Lakers winless and moving to 2-2 on the season. Emmanuel Mudiay recorded his first career double-double while Kenneth Faried led the way with a monster 28-point, 15-rebound performance. Grades after the jump.
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J.J. Hickson, PF 25 MIN | 8-9 FG | 0-0 3FG | 1-3 FT | 7 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 2 BLK | 0 TO | 17 PTS | +10 +/-
Having sat out since the preseason Hickson came through huge when the Nuggets needed him. A nearly flawless shooting night to go with some of the better defense he’s played in a Nuggets jersey. This is probably Hickson’s first A+ ever and I don’t even understand life anymore. Outstanding effort. |
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Kenneth Faried, PF 40 MIN | 10-13 FG | 0-0 3FG | 8-8 FT | 15 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 4 TO | 28 PTS | +6 +/-
The Manimal had 20 and 8 at halftime and the Lakers just couldn’t keep him off the glass. Going small wasn’t an issue against the Lakers and Faried showed he can do a ton of damage in the right lineups. Slight dings for a bit of a second half drop off where we saw a bad post up and some turnovers. It’s hard to complain but Faried might have had 40 if he kept rolling hard. |
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Danilo Gallinari, SF 35 MIN | 6-12 FG | 0-0 3FG | 9-10 FT | 8 REB | 3 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO | 21 PTS | +9 +/-
The free throws have been missing all season. They came back tonight, along with some crazy circus shots and some clutch rebounding from the Rooster. |
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Emmanuel Mudiay, PG 31 MIN | 3-13 FG | 3-4 3FG | 3-3 FT | 2 REB | 10 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 6 TO | 12 PTS | +10 +/-
A very resilient double-double after not making a shot the entire first half. Teams are starting to play off of Mudiay quite a bit and he was able to stay aggressive in the second half. Finishing is still a big issue. Mudiay’s shooting much better from three than he is from two, a continuing trend from the preseason. |
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Gary Harris, SG 22 MIN | 5-9 FG | 1-3 3FG | 0-1 FT | 3 REB | 2 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 11 PTS | 0 +/-
A pretty slow start turned into a fine game from the youngster. Harris is going to be a fine two guard if he’s ever able to develop a shot. The Nuggets would have been wise to stick with him over Foye late into this game, but they brought Harris back in time. |
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Darrell Arthur, PF 16 MIN | 1-5 FG | 0-1 3FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO | 2 PTS | -1 +/-
Pretty bad. DA was handily outplayed by Hickson and didn’t contribute much to the bench scoring. |
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Jameer Nelson, PG 26 MIN | 1-7 FG | 0-3 3FG | 2-2 FT | 4 REB | 9 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 4 PTS | +9 +/-
The vet turned it on in the second half and kept the Nuggets in control of their lead to close it out. He also didn’t shoot well and fouled a three-point shooter but all in all it was a solid game out of Jameer. |
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Will Barton, SG 21 MIN | 3-6 FG | 0-2 3FG | 4-4 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO | 10 PTS | +3 +/-
Mixed in with Barton’s highlight reel of a game were some really stupid fouls. At one point in the fourth he fouled three-point shooters on consecutive possessions, while the Nuggets were nursing a 10-point lead against a team who couldn’t shoot straight. |
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Mike Miller, SG 8 MIN | 3-4 FG | 3-4 3FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 9 PTS | +5 +/-
Miller knocked down his first three shots and did exactly what was asked of him. He played the four in super small lineups which will probably end up being his niche role all season. |
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Randy Foye, SG 16 MIN | 3-7 FG | 0-3 3FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 6 PTS | +4 +/-
I didn’t see much I liked out of Foye. Malone is clearly trying to get him going and giving him freedom to shoot. The shots he made were all weird midrange stuff off the dribble. The Lakers might have been wishing they didn’t close out so hard. |
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Michael Malone Credit Malone for getting it done with a severely undermanned roster. I had doubts about starting Hickson but it was the right move, as was going mega small with Darrell and Mike Miller early. He took the Lakers size out of the game and if there’s one thing to complain about, it was sticking with the bench a little too far into the fourth. |
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Three Things We Saw
- Denver played 100 posessions tonight, the first time they have done so this season. The Nuggets were 21st in pace entering this game.
- The Lakers should have had an advantage on the boards but Denver gang-rebounded nicely. Huge efforts from Hickson, Faried, and Gallo kept the Nuggets in it.
- The offense finally got back on track with three straight 30-point quarters against the Lakers. Denver did a much better job getting movement and multiple pick and rolls which they had been struggling with for a couple of games. The Nuggets’ shooting still wasn’t any good but they made up for it with free throws and a solid pick and roll attack.
