01-08-2021, 01:02 PM
(01-08-2021, 12:57 PM)DaRiv Wrote: I think JRich was the player of this game. Ok, maybe it was Luka, but JRich impacted this game more than any other so far as a Mav. He literally shut down Jamal Murray when he was assigned to him (which was for over 21 possessions), like 0 points and only 3 field goal attempts. This is despite JM getting 99 touches for the game and scoring 21 points overall. I would call his defensive play the most dominant performance of the game, because IMO Luka and Jokic could have been better.
I will agree that Richardson's defensive impact on this game was significant, and probably a little overlooked.
For me, personally, it's difficult to think about Richardson's defense on a night when he was so, so terrible on offense. But you're absolutely right. Just the idea that Denver decided to go to Jokic exclusively, and the fact that Murray was a complete non-factor at important times in this game does speak volumes about how Richardson performed on the defensive end.