Nets player grades: Michael Porter Jr. drops 27 in win over Nuggets

6 days ago 2

NEW YORK -- The Brooklyn Nets (11-22) had been on a three-game losing streak coming into Sunday's game against the Denver Nuggets (23-12), but they had an opportunity to beat a Nuggets team missing Nikola Jokic. More than that, Brooklyn had the chance to give forward Michael Porter Jr. a win over his former team and thankfully, everyone came away with a smile on their face.

The Nets beat the Nuggets 127-115 in a game that never really seemed close as Brooklyn led 92% of the team and had as much as a 22-point lead. Porter did his part to lead the Nets to victory as he put up 27 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists while forward Noah Clowney had a bounceback game of his own with 22 points and six rebounds while shooting 6-of-10 from the field.

Brooklyn caught a break not having to face Jokic or former Nets forward Cam Johnson, but Jamal Murray gave Brooklyn a run for their money with 27 points and 16 assists. The Nets can now rest easy, for now, that they have ended their losing streak at three games as they continue through a tough January. Here are the Nets player grades following Sunday's win over the Nuggets:

Egor Demin: B+

Demin had a solid game scoring the basketball as he took the shots that came to him within the flow of the offense and luckily for him, his three-point shot was falling against the Nuggets. Demin notably doesn't have the ball in his hands a ton within this offensive system, but it's encouraging to see him make the simple pass as opposed to trying to do too much with the ball in his hands at this stage of his rookie season.

Terance Mann: B

Mann had a tough time scoring the ball in this one despite getting some good looks, but his inefficiency makes sense given that he spent most of his energy on the defensive end of the floor. To his credit, Mann did a great job of handling the basketball and setting up his teammates while being an absolute pest when it came to guarding Jamal Murray throughout the game.

Michael Porter Jr.: A+

Porter returned to the rotation after missing the past two games due to an illness and he didn't miss a beat as he continued to score the ball well from virtually everywhere on the floor. Porter did a great job of rebounding and passing the ball and only so many new words can be said about his impact on this team, but this game is more proof of his effectiveness.

Noah Clowney: A

Clowney has had some up-and-down games as of late, but this was one game where he had everything working for him, especially shooting the three-pointer. Clowney has shot the three-ball better this season compared to his career averages, but it was impressive to see him get to the free-throw line repeatedly thanks to his willingness to absorb contact in the paint.

Day'Ron Sharpe: A+

In his second straight game filling in for Nic Claxton as the starting center, Sharpe did not disappoint as he showed the entirety of his skillset in his extended minutes on the floor. Sharpe was efficient around the rim, got to the free-throw line, rebounded the ball well, and showed how quick his hands are in the defensive passing lanes on multiple occasions.

Ziaire Williams: B

Williams looks like he has something new working for him as he has been playing his best basketball over the past few games thanks to his shotmaking and tenacity on the defensive end of the floor. While Williams could very well have three more points added to his total after his halftime heave was ruled after the buzzer, he still showed what his best form looks like for this team.

Danny Wolf: C

Wolf didn't have much of an impact on either end as he didn't look for his shot too often within the flow of the offense. Wolf has not looked close to how he did when he first started seeing extended minutes as his three-point shot has not fallen and that complicates the rest of his game when he is trying to get to places on the floor with the ball in his hands.

Cam Thomas: B+

This game was a tale of two halves for Thomas as he was passive with the ball in his hands despite making the right read on most possessions when the Nuggets double-teamed him in the pick-and-roll. In the second half, Thomas flipped the switch and started scoring the ball the way Nets fans know him for doing and that had to be a good sight for the team to see from such a talented scorer.

Drake Powell: C

Powell had a fairly-quiet game on both ends of the floor for the Nets as he wasn't particularly involved on the offensive end despite getting some open looks. Powell is experimenting with what he can do on the offensive side of the floor and in addition to his defensive effort and impact, he should be able to find that spark that unlocks the next phase of his game.

Nolan Traore: C+

Despite Traore's poor shooting in this one, it was encouraging to see him unafraid of missing shots, especially since he was taking good shots a majority of the time. Traore could attack the basket more, but he should be able to get that with time as he gets more comfortable with his own rhythm running the offense and looking for his chances to score.

This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets player grades: Michael Porter Jr. drops 27 in win over Nuggets

Read Entire Article