Nuggets star Jamal Murray summed up the Pistons' rise in three words: "They got Cade." Nuggets head coach David Adelman chose three different words: "They're extremely physical."
"They got into us," Adelman said after Cade Cunningham and the Pistons took down the Nuggets Tuesday night in Detroit.
The Nuggets did wind up scoring 121 points, including 41 in the fourth quarter as they nearly erased a 20-point second half deficit, but the Pistons led comfortably against one of the top teams in the West for most of the night.
A big reason why? Detroit shot over 41 percent from three, well above its season average of 35.5 percent that ranks 20th in the NBA. Duncan Robinson and Tobias Harris, whose name has been in trade rumors, combined to go 8-for-13 from beyond the arc, with Harris bouncing home a key three late in the game to give the Pistons some breathing room.
In a battle of All-Star Game starters, Cunningham had 29 points and 10 assists while Nikola Jokic, in his third game back from an extended absence, had 24 points and 15 rebounds for Denver. Two more All-Stars stuffed the stat sheet as well, with Jalen Duren putting up 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Pistons and Murray finishing with 32 points and eight assists.
Despite Denver's flurry in the fourth, Detroit's defense bothered the Nuggets' high-scoring offense for much of the game.
"We know they are No. 1 in steals and blocks," said Jokic. "They’re handsy, they have some really good personnel, they push you off screens, they’re good with that."
Jokic, the three-time MVP, has had some easy games against the Pistons in the past. He had to work for everything he got this time around. In a couple years, the Pistons have gone from the worst team in the NBA to one of the best.
"I remember them, like, three, four years ago, they’ve grown so much, their players have grown so much, their chemistry has grown so much," said Jokic. "They have the dude. Cade is playing at a high level, getting everybody involved and he’s really good at it, and everybody else is thriving around him. They have some really good pieces that play their roles. That’s why they’re No. 1 in the East."
The Pistons added another piece on Tuesday in a trade for shooter Kevin Huerter that sent Jaden Ivey to the Bulls. Trajan Langdon still might have a bigger move up his sleeve before Thursday's 3 p.m. trade deadline. But given the rapid rise of the team over the last year, Langdon could be more inclined to let it keep growing organically.
Question is, will that be enough for the Pistons in a year where the East could be theirs?