Denver Nuggets 123, Detroit Pistons 128: Three takeaways

Nikola Jokić was at his tantalizing best, but it wasn’t enough in an overtime heartbreaker against the Pistons in a 128-123 loss on Super Bowl Sunday.

Jokić collected his 10th triple-double of the season, going for 39 points, 11 assists and 10 boards on an impressive 69.6 percent shooting to lead the Nuggets. The Pistons were able to secure the win thanks to a 21-point, 17-rebound night from Andre Drummond.

Denver got off to a sizzling start, opening the game by hitting seven of its first eight shots to take a 16-5 lead. Will Barton III and Nikola Jokić sparked the Nuggets' early dominance, with the pair combining for 18 points on 8 of 11 shooting. Denver was also effective on the glass early on, outrebounding the Pistons 14-4 in the opening 12 minutes. When the team took a 28-7 lead, it appeared as if Michael Malone’s team would be en route to a straightforward win. However, the Nuggets took their foot off the gas and allowed the Pistons to gain some confidence from behind the arc late in the first quarter. Detroit would hit four late threes and cut the deficit to 42-30 after a late three-pointer from Reggie Jackson.

"After the first six minutes of the first quarter, we didn't defend well," Malone said after the game. 

The Pistons’ late run would give them momentum for a monster second quarter, where they would outscore the Nuggets by 17 points. The Nuggets struggled to defend Svi Mykhailiuk and Sekou Doumbouya with the two men scoring 16 points on 5 of 9 shooting. The team also got a hold on the rebounding battle, beating the Nuggets on the boards 16-11 and that helped it exploded for 38 points in the quarter. Things might have gotten out of hand for Denver if it weren’t for the efforts of Jokić, who had 11 points on 5 of 5 shooting.

Detroit's star guard Derrick Rose would be sidelined in the second half with an injury, but it wouldn’t deter his team as it built a nine-point lead off of 8-2 run to start the third quarter. Thankfully, Denver remained relentless. The home team had no answer for Jokić, who added another 10 points and three assists in the quarter. The Nuggets went on a 17-6 run to tie the contest at 84 points apiece. The two teams continued to trade buckets and Denver would enter the final 12 minutes of the contest trailing by just one point.

The Nuggets’ composure on the road proved valuable in the fourth quarter. They would take a 111-109 lead thanks to a pair of free throws by Barton III. The Pistons would tie up the game at 111 seconds later though. With 13.2 seconds remaining, Barton III had a chance to ice the game for the Nuggets but his shot clanked right on the rim. Denver got a lucky break as Jackson got to the basket with 0.4 and launched a floater that bounced off the rim.

Unfortunately, things would unravel for the Nuggets in overtime. The visitors missed some early free throws in the quarter and the Pistons would go on a 9-2 run to take a 120-113 lead. Jokić almost forced another overtime as the center hit his first three-pointer of the contest at the 30.2-second mark to cut the deficit to 126-123. Thon Maker, however, would provide the back-breaker for Denver as Tony Snell found him cutting to the rim to score on an alley-oop. The home team would hold on to win.

"This is the end of a tough stretch, hopefully we can go home and get ready for two big division games coming up," Malone said before later adding. "[It's] a tough loss, we had our chances but we didn't get the job done." 

The Nuggets will return to Pepsi Center to face the Blazers in a division matchup Tuesday.

Here are the takeaways:

Bench struggles to make an impact

Less than 48 hours after the Nuggets saw their bench drop 67 points against the Bucks, the group could muster 26 on Sunday and it gave the Pistons the edge.

Fatigue played a role as the Nuggets were playing in their third game in four nights. Michael Porter Jr. being sidelined with an injury also didn’t help as the rookie has had a microwave scoring touch in January. But aside from Malik Beasley, who had 12 points on 55.6 percent, it was a quiet game on both sides of the floor from the reserves.

The Pistons’ second unit outscored the Nuggets reserves 62-26, a difference that was too difficult for Denver to overcome.

"I was so impressed with the start of the game, on both ends of the floor. We went to our bench and right when we went to our bench, the bottom fell out," Malone said. "I don't think the guys came in and were ready to play at the same level the starters were. It gave [the Pistons] life." 

Malone added, "They went to their bench and their bench came in with the juice and had us on our heels." 

Jokić dominant

Jokić almost single-handedly willed his team to a win in the Motor City with the Pistons with the Serbian edging his matchup against Andre Drummond – a two-time All-Star.

"Nikola for every minute he played, all 40 of them, [gets] 39 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists and was in attack mode the whole night," Malone said. "[He] was looking to make plays." 

Jokić wouldn’t be denied at the rim, where he was 5 of 6, and also thrived in the mid-range area converting 10 of 14. In typical fashion, he was also effective in facilitating the Nuggets’ offense with the big man only surrendering two turnovers in the matinee matchup. Though Denver will be disappointed with its overall performance, it can’t fault Jokić who was sensational in this contest.

Disparity on threes costly

The Pistons clawed their way back into the game due to a prolific night from downtown, hitting 14-of-31. The Nuggets couldn’t keep up as they converted just 10 of their 32 attempts.

The parallels once again to Friday night’s game are staggering as the Nuggets were coming off a win against the Bucks where they hit 22 threes against Milwaukee. On Sunday, Denver’s starters combined for 8 of 24 shooting.