The Detroit Pistons vet posted another clutch shooting performance against the Nuggets on Tuesday night
After making a big trade that dealt Jaden Ivey to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Kevin Huerter and Dario Saric earlier today, the Detroit Pistons turned their focus to the Denver Nuggets for the second time in the last week.
During the first cross-conference showdown, the Pistons jumped out to an early lead, holding an advantage as large as 18 points at one stage, but the Nuggets clawed their way back into the game late. In fact, a pair of untimely Detroit fouls when Jamal Murray was shooting three-pointers nearly sunk the Pistons’ chances, but Detroit prevailed with a two-point win in that meeting.
This time around, the Pistons picked up an early lead behind Duncan Robinson’s sharp shooting, going a perfect 4-for-4 from behind the arc. Detroit eventually expanded its lead to 20 points, but Murray and Nikola Jokic brought the Nuggets back on the brink late in the fourth quarter.
Murray, once again, brought the ball up with the Nuggets down five points as precious seconds ticked away. Pistons All-Star Cade Cunningham was called for a foul on Murray, and the Detroit faithful in attendance began to see deja vu. This time, Murray connected on his first two attempts from the charity stripe before purposely clanging his final shot off the iron.
The Pistons collected the ensuing rebound and a narrow three-point victory in the process, doubling up on Denver in their final meeting of the regular season. Robinson finished the night with 20 points in a stellar perimeter shooting effort, knocking down six triples in a stark contrast from his recent goose egg against the Nuggets.
“I figured I couldn’t hit one if I jumped out of a boat against them last time, so this time water finds its level and eventually it would come back around,” Robinson said after the game. “I think it was 0-for-8 last time, but it’s a short-term memory, the memory of a goldfish when you’re a shooter. That’s how you’ve got to do it.”
Cunningham posted 29 points and 10 points in the slim victory, while his All-Star teammate Jalen Duren logged 19 points and 13 rebounds in his own right. Along those same lines, JD and Cade found out that they’d both be playing on the same USA Stars squad for the All-Star Game, so today was filled with good news for the dynamic duo.
As a team, the Pistons found a lot of success on the fast break against the Nuggets, which is a focal point for head coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s squad. As such, Detroit raced up and down the court to a 26-9 edge in transition on Tuesday night.
“It was big,” Robinson said of Detroit’s hustle. “We are at our best when we are causing disruption on defense, getting out in transition and making plays in transition.”
With a three-point win in the books against Denver, the Pistons now move to 37-12 in the regular season with an active three-game winning streak. Next up, the Pistons will take on the Washington Wizards at home on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 7 pm.
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