Once again, the win is all that mattered in the end.
For the second consecutive game against the Detroit Pistons, the Denver Nuggets had to grind out a 110-105 victory, fueled by a dominant performance from Nikola Jokić (28 points, 21 rebounds, nine assists).
Led by an active Jokić, the Nuggets built a narrow 14-11 lead after the first five minutes. The reigning MVP had five points, six rebounds, and three assists during that opening stretch. Denver was in a rhythm on offense to open Tuesday’s contest, scoring 20 points in the paint on the way to a 34-point quarter. However, Detroit was up to the task and shot 54.5 percent from the field to reduce a 12-point Nuggets lead to just two at 34-32 after the first 12 minutes.
Denver’s new-look second unit got it going in the opening minutes of the second frame as the Nuggets extended the lead to nine points. However, turnover issues for the Mile High squad kept Detroit in the game, as Denver only led by seven midway through the second quarter. The Nuggets committed 12 turnovers in the first half, which led to 19 points for the Pistons. Denver was able to recover and ultimately secured a 69-59 advantage heading into the halftime break.
The Nuggets quickly extended their lead to 14 points within the first two minutes of the second half, the largest of the night up to that point. That lead only continued to grow in the ensuing minutes, as Denver found itself up 86-71 near the midway point of the third quarter. However, the Pistons wouldn’t go away easily and cut the deficit to just six points late in the quarter. The Nuggets ultimately took a 97-85 lead into the fourth and final frame.
Once again, the Pistons had an answer for Denver’s run, and the Nuggets saw their lead cut to six with just over six minutes remaining. As Jokić checked back in to close the game, Denver was only up three at 99-96. Detroit stayed in the game down to the final minute as the Nuggets struggled to generate clean looks each time down the floor.
Here are three takeaways from Tuesday’s win.
Jokić dominated early and often
A stat line of 19 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists would be considered a good game for the majority of NBA big men. For Nikola Jokić, it was simply another half of basketball in Detroit. The Serbian big man was active early and mixed in effective scoring with his steady playmaking to help the Nuggets gain an advantage of Tuesday’s contest in the first quarter.
In the second half, Detroit went to more zone looks and double-teams to slow Jokić down. However, what couldn’t be stopped was the Serbian’s elite rebounding, as he had 19 rebounds through three-quarters of action. In the end, Jokić finished with 28 points, 21 rebounds, and nine assists.
Aggression paid off for Denver on offense
The first half was marked by countless drives to the rim and trips to the charity stripe for the Mile High squad. Although Denver was an effective 6-of-16 from deep in the first 24 minutes, the Nuggets did their damage in the paint, racking up 34 points from that area of the floor in the first half. That paint effectiveness combined with 17-of-20 shooting from the free-throw line helped fuel a 69-point first half.
It was more of the same in the second half, as the Nuggets finished with 48 points in the paint and shot 25-of-29 from the charity stripe by the final buzzer. Against an undersized Pistons squad, the Nuggets took advantage inside the paint Tuesday night.
Turnovers held Denver back
Tuesday’s performance was certainly not a complete one for the Nuggets. Despite maintaining a lead throughout the majority of the game, Denver struggled to value each possession, which helped Detroit stay in the game.
In the first half, 12 Nuggets turnovers led directly to 19 points for the Pistons. Unfortunately, things didn’t get much better for Denver in the second half, and the final tally was 25 turnovers, which Detroit converted to the tune of 38 points.
Denver is right back in action Wednesday night against the Brooklyn Nets (6 p.m. MT).