The Detroit Pistons pulled out a gritty 109–107 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night in a game that felt like a throwback to old-school basketball.
Detroit leaned heavily on inside scoring, led by center Jalen Duren, who finished with 14 points and eight rebounds. Denver countered with a strong performance from Jonas Valančiūnas, who posted 16 points and 16 rebounds of his own.
Despite the physical, paint-focused style of play, both teams still saw big contributions from their lead guards. Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with 24 points and 10 assists, continuing a strong recent stretch that included five 20-point games in his last six appearances and a 42-point outing against Washington. Murray showed flashes of the same scoring touch that fueled his earlier standout performance against Cleveland.
Detroit answered with star guard Cade Cunningham, who recorded 22 points and 11 assists. The Pistons set the tone early, responding to Murray’s two opening free throws with a pair of inside baskets and a steal by Ausar Thompson, which he converted into a fast-break score.
The Pistons steadily wore down Denver’s defense with consistent interior scoring, particularly from Cunningham and Duren, who combined for six early baskets. Defensive pressure and forced turnovers helped Detroit maintain control, even as the Nuggets closed the gap in the second quarter by finding some rhythm from beyond the arc.
Neither team made a three-pointer until more than nine minutes into the game, highlighting the physical, inside-heavy nature of the matchup. Both teams struggled from long range, combining to shoot just 26.7% from three-point distance. Detroit went 6-for-31 from beyond the arc but dominated inside, scoring 64 points in the paint compared to Denver’s 48.
This game continued a recent trend for Detroit. Three of the Pistons’ last five games—including a statement win over the Boston Celtics—have ended with neither team shooting better than 35% from three. Detroit entered the night ranked in the top 10 in opponent three-point percentage and around 17th in the league in their own three-point shooting.
Next, the Pistons will head on the road to face the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night. Detroit narrowly defeated Phoenix at home earlier this month, despite Grayson Allen’s 33-point performance that included seven made three-pointers.
With Tuesday’s win, the Pistons improved to 15–6 against teams above .500, showing they can compete with the league’s top contenders. Phoenix enters the matchup with an 11–14 record and is 4–4 against winning teams this month.
The Pistons and Suns will tip off at 9 p.m. EST on Thursday, with coverage on FanDuel Sports Network – Detroit.
