Jamal Murray poured in 31 points as the visiting Denver Nuggets snapped Detroit’s eight-game winning streak with a 134-119 victory over the Pistons on Friday night.
Michael Porter Jr. supplied 28 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Nikola Jokic amassed 23 points, 17 rebounds and 15 assists — his NBA-leading 28th triple-double of the season. Christian Braun contributed 23 points for Denver, which won for the 11th time in 13 games.
The Nuggets bounced back from a 121-112 road loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night.
Malik Beasley led Detroit with 16 points but shot 6-for-18 from the field. Ausar Thompson had 13 points, five assists and five steals, while Tobias Harris and Simone Fontecchio tossed in 12 points apiece. All-Star Cade Cunningham was held to 11 points on 3-of-12 shooting.
The Pistons had not lost since falling to the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers 118-115 on Feb. 5.
Denver starting forward Aaron Gordon missed the game due to a left ankle injury. However, the Nuggets thrived without him, shooting 56 percent from the field and making 17 of 31 3-point attempts (54.8 percent).
The Pistons shot 45.9 percent from the field, 12 of 37 from long range (32.4 percent).
Consecutive 3-pointers from Porter and Murray early in the third quarter gave the Nuggets a 78-68 advantage. After a Thompson dunk made it 80-72, the Nuggets went on a 15-0 run.
Braun got the surge going with a layup off a Jokic feed, and Murray scored five points during the streak.
Jokic’s hook shot with 2:50 left in the quarter increased Denver’s lead to 25 points. The quarter ended with Denver up 107-87.
Detroit couldn’t mount a comeback in the fourth.
The Nuggets went on a 25-3 run in the first quarter to take an 18-point lead. With Beasley scoring 11 points, the Pistons cut the deficit to 39-31 by the end of the quarter.
Detroit scored the first five points of the second to pull within three. The Nuggets led 68-63 at halftime, led by Braun’s 16 points and Porter’s 15. Beasley topped the Pistons with 13 points prior to the break, and Tim Hardaway Jr. tossed in 10.
