Recap: Denver Nuggets get big night from stars, blow Detroit Pistons 134-121

On By Littum

The Denver Nuggets’ dominance on the second night of back to backs continues. Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray & Michael Porter Jr. looked like a full-fledged trio of stars, combining for 97 points on their way to a blowout of the Detroit Pistons. The Nuggets built a big lead in the third quarter before the Pistons bench mounted a rally in the fourth that fell short. There still wasn’t much to talk about on the defensive end, but Denver is scoring 134 points and that’s more than enough tonight to get a win.

Jokic opened the game, knocking down threes to give Denver the lead. Denver made it work on offense, but the Pistons kept pace and didn’t let the Nuggets get any breathing space. They spread the ball around their starters and brought the game up midway through the quarter. The game began to slow down a bit and Denver continued to hold on to a two point lead. The Nuggets missed some good looks from three, which let Detroit get ahead. Murray and Jokic remained consistent for the Nuggets to keep them neck and neck with the Pistons down the stretch while former Nugget Malik Beasley had his shot going. After Jokic buried another three and then finished off a pocket pass from Murray, the game was once again tied with a minute remaining. The Pistons got one more bucket and led 38-36 at the horn.

Both teams struggled to generate points to start the second quarter. Denver’s offense looked disjointed. They had Murray out there with the bench but didn’t look to create opportunities for him. Still, they got a couple of congestion buckets and it was enough to tie the game again with about eight minutes left in the half. The Pistons put some baskets together, highlighted by Ausar Thompson crossing Peyton Watson and then posting him, prompting Michael Malone to take a timeout to get Jokic back with the Nuggets four. Denver tightened up their defense and came back, again relying on Jokic and Murray. Porter started to get going in the final minutes to build the lead back for the Nuggets. They went into the locker room up 67-61.

Denver was a little sloppy to open the second half, but they still had their stars to keep them going. They stayed ahead with a few possessions but still couldn’t blow the game open. Porter Jr. took his turn to be the focal point of the attack and eventually began to push the lead up. It got into double digits before things got a little chippy, or at least they did with Russell Westbrook. He was upset by a call and responded by getting into Cade Cunningham for an offensive foul and then had Isaiah Stewart say something that drew a technical foul. In the second half of the quarter, it was very sloppy at both ends, and there weren’t many field goals, but plenty of mistakes. Eventually, Denver pulled it together and went on an 8-0 run to pull away comfortably. Murray closed the quarter strong and Denver headed into the fourth with a 114-89 lead.

The energy seemed a little off to start the fourth for Denver. They settled for too many jumpers and scored just one point in the first two minutes. The Pistons were already playing on their deep bench and didn’t make much of the opportunity, but they began to chip away at the lead, prompting a Malone timeout to refocus the troops. It didn’t help much and a minute later he called another one with Denver’s lead down to 17. Detroit kept playing with energy and the Nuggets lead kept chipping away. With five minutes left in the fourth, it was down to eleven, even though Jokic and most of the starters were back. Porter seemed to be the one with a big three just when the Nuggets needed it most and stopped the bleeding enough to make time a factor. The Pistons still refused to go away. They hit back-to-back threes to get back within seven before Jokic settled things down. Eventually, Detroit ran out of time and the Nuggets got enough buckets to win with breathing space. Final Score Denver 134, Detroit 121.

Give Jamal Murray his flowers

December 28, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) shoots past Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) and forward Ausar Thompson (9) during the second quarter at Ball Arena. Mandatory credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

There was a lot of talk about Murray’s play to start the season. It seemed almost everyone was ready to write him off, declare his contract the worst in franchise history, and blame him for what was surely the imminent demise of the Nuggets. You’ll be shocked to find out that it didn’t happen. Jamal has been the star player Denver needs him to be in December and has put together a big stretch over the past two weeks. Tonight he finishes with 34 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks. He still needs to get his legs under him 100% defensively, and considering he’s still on the injury report with a sprained ankle, it’s safe to assume he’s not quite 100%, but he’s starting to look really good .

Denver is simply a bad defensive team

The Nuggets’ defensive woes are a constant problem this season. Some of it is staff. There isn’t a dominant rim protector on this team, Peyton Watson and Christian Braun have yet to blossom into top perimeter defenders, Aaron Gordon has been constantly hampered with a calf injury. However, much of it remains simply effort. There were sputters tonight where you could see the Nuggets find their focus and start to slow down, especially in the second and third quarters, but the start of the fourth was a good example of the opposite scenario. The Nuggets were clearly pleased with their big lead, and sleep went through half a quarter to nearly squander it away. The coach was not at all happy with his pressure after the game and pointed directly to the fourth as the source of his disappointment. He went so far as to say he might have to find another group of guys to go out there and put in a consistent effort. You’ll take the win no doubt, but Denver needs to figure out how to get stops and changes could be coming.