I would like all Paul Millsap apologists to answer for his performance in this game. He was 1-of-8 from the field and eighteen minutes as the starting power forward, but ceded many of the PF minutes to Trey Lyles because he was taking a big ol’ suck and a gigantic ding-dong. A lot of players on the Nuggets had poor plus-minus figures, including our favorite Serbian Nikola Jokic, but I’m sure those numbers are a result of having to share the floor with Mr. Thirty Million.
I’ve long maintained that Paul Millsap never really made sense for a Nuggets team that already had Jokic on it, not to mention a host of capable big men who are more than adequate backup cast for the Joker. Yes, the Nuggets are still in that hazy semi-contender category even with Millsap messing up the rotation with his regressed regressiveness, but that is in spite of Millsap rather than because of him.
Jokic tried to drag his teammates to victory in this one, but couldn’t overcome bad shooting nights from Murray and Millsap. Showing no fear going against the fearsome shotblocker Rudy Gobert, he used his tubby, coke-fueled (the soda, not the drug) body to create the space to finish some tough shots. He also missed a bunch of three-pointers. I miss the Jokic who could actually hit threes.