The Nuggets don’t know easy. It’s just not in their nature.
Denver avoided what would’ve been an ugly double-digit, fourth-quarter collapse Sunday and hung on to beat the Pistons, 117-111. Up 16 points to start the fourth quarter, Detroit chiseled away at the lead, tying it twice in the final two minutes.
Former Nugget Trey Lyles added to the drama with eight of his 18 in the fourth quarter, but the Pistons were rebuffed by Nikola Jokic, who scored six consecutive points late to ice the game.
“This was not a pretty win,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone, whose team secured a promising 4-2 homestand. The Nuggets, now 24-21, will get the Pistons again Tuesday in Detroit to start a daunting six-game road trip.
“They have guys fighting for contracts, they have guys trying to prove themselves,” said Austin Rivers, who scored 11 points in 33 minutes as a starter.
Jokic finished with 34 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, snapping his four-game triple-double streak. Not that it mattered to Jokic.
DeMarcus Cousins was relatively underwhelming in his Nuggets debut, finishing with just two points and six rebounds in 12 minutes. But he was part of a strong bench showing, which saw the Nuggets outscore Detroit’s reserves 41-37.
“I know what he’s been through,” said Malone, who praised Cousins’ defense. “This guy, after playing really well in Milwaukee, was just sitting at home waiting for his phone to ring. That’s crazy to me.”
In addition, the Nuggets hung 60 points in the paint to help combat 18 points each from Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart and Cade Cunningham.
Each time the Nuggets looked like they’d create separation, they’d turn it over or fail to capitalize on an open 3-pointer. Finally, with 4:50 left in the third quarter, Jokic found Bryn Forbes lingering outside the 3-point line, and he drained the look. Two minutes later, reserve Davon Reed knocked in a 3, and shortly thereafter, so did Facu Campazzo.
As Campazzo trotted back on defense, he looked to the sky with relief. Zeke Nnaji canned a triple before the quarter was over, and the Nuggets’ second unit had engineered a 92-76 lead heading into the final quarter.
Playing some with Jokic and some with the reserves, Forbes looked more comfortable than he did in his debut.
“When you make a trade, in and of itself, that takes some time because you’re bringing in a new person, a new personality to a locker room, to a culture,” Malone said.
His prior experience with well-respected organizations like Milwaukee and San Antonio helped ease the transition.
Entering Sunday, Malone had a healthy fear of the rebuilding Pistons for one specific reason.
“As I told our players, when you’re a team like Detroit, they have nothing to lose,” Malone said pre-game.
He said human nature becomes a factor, and teams inevitably let their guard down against lottery-bound teams.
“… These games scare the hell out of me,” he said.
The first half proved Malone had reason to be concerned. The Nuggets breathed life into Detroit’s key playmakers and continued to play the type of defense that had recently dogged them. Cunningham and Stewart combined for 28 points in a show of their shared fearlessness.
As a result, both teams headed to the break tied at 60.
The Nuggets played to their strength, funneling the ball through Jokic and Aaron Gordon inside. Denver’s one-two punch combined for 28 as well. As a team, the Nuggets poured in 36 points in the paint throughout the first half.
In a potential encouraging sign of things to come, Denver’s second unit found some rhythm. Both Forbes and Zeke Nnaji knocked in seven points in the first half.
