Cade Cunningham delivered another All-Star-caliber performance with 29 points and 10 assists as the Detroit Pistons stayed hot, holding off the Denver Nuggets for a 124-121 win Tuesday night.
Jalen Duren, also recently named an All-Star, chipped in 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Duncan Robinson scored 20 as Detroit won for the fifth time in six games. The Pistons were coming off a historic 53-point blowout of Brooklyn on Sunday and followed it up by completing a season sweep of Denver, having already won 109-107 at Ball Arena on Jan. 27.
Jamal Murray paced the Nuggets with 32 points and eight assists, while Nikola Jokic finished with 24 points and 15 rebounds. Denver never led, but made things tense late after Jokic’s bucket cut the deficit to 112-107 with 2:33 remaining. Murray then drilled a 3-pointer after a Detroit miss to make it a two-point game.
Tobias Harris responded with a timely 3 on the next possession, and the teams traded baskets down the stretch. Detroit finally came up with a defensive stop with 33 seconds left and sealed the win at the free-throw line.
The Pistons built their cushion early, outscoring Denver 37-23 in the second quarter to take a 69-50 halftime lead. Cunningham had 17 points and seven assists before the break, while Jokic was limited to seven points on 3-of-10 shooting. Detroit pushed the lead to 20 early in the third before Denver trimmed it to 93-80 entering the fourth.
Earlier in the day, Detroit finalized a three-team trade that sent Jaden Ivey to Chicago in exchange for Kevin Huerter and Dario Saric. Neither newcomer was available for the game.
Up next:
The Nuggets visit the New York Knicks on Wednesday night, while the Pistons host the Washington Wizards on Thursday.
