On a series of four consecutive defeats, their worst of the season, the nuggets moved to Michigan with the firm intention of putting an end to it, against Pistons “Solidly” installed in last place in the Eastern Conference.
It was nevertheless more complicated than imagined, even winded in sequences, because Detroit And denver were still neck and neck at the end of the third quarter (86-86). It was then that the final act saw the teammates of Nikola Jokic (30 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists) engage the top gear on both sides of the floor, to move towards a large success (119-100).
Perhaps not representative of what we have seen for three quarters, but the experience, control and execution of the West leader finally made all the difference in the last twelve minutes.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
— Double blow for Denver. End of losing streak and direct qualification in the playoffs. Difficult to dream of a better evening for the Nuggets than the one experienced on the floor of the Pistons. Everything has certainly not been perfect in the game, but the essential is there and Nikola Jokic’s teammates can already rejoice, given what they have been offering for a few games, while the end of week in the New York region will allow them to test themselves more against bigger customers (Knicks, Nets). The icing on the cake: Michael Malone’s men are guaranteed to finish at the top of their Division for the 10th time in their history.
— That’s tough on Detroit… Still tied at the start of the fourth quarter, the young Pistons must have had it bad to finish with a defeat of around twenty points in the bag. This should not make us forget that they fought well for three quarters and that they competed – or even more – with the best team in the West despite a cascade of absentees. Unfortunately, their lack of experience (and talent?) paid off in cash at the end against a league cador, more efficient, fairer and stronger in the home stretch.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Nikola Jokic. A great extra day at work for the double (soon to be triple?) reigning MVP. On the brink of the triple-double, he once again did very little on the shot (14/18) as with the ball (1 loss of ball) and he was above all the man to whom the Nuggets could turn as soon as they were looking for reassurance or to speed up the game. In control, Jokic finally made Jokic and that’s all it took for Denver to revive collectively, while Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr. and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope supported the Serb well.
✅ The Wiseman/Duren pair. On the outside lines, Rodney McGruder (20 points, 6/10 from afar) also made a strong impression for the Pistons, but we prefer to retain the performance of James Wiseman (14 points, 9 rebounds) and Jalen Duren (15 points). , 13 rebounds) at pivot position. One after another, or even together in sequences, the two young interiors of Detroit made their power and their athletic qualities speak in the racket, between their dunks and their rebounds, to respond as much as possible to Nikola Jokic.
⛔ The Denver Bench. As (too) often this season, despite the efforts of Bruce Brown, Jeff Green and other Christian Braun, Michael Malone and the Nuggets could not really count on a productive and dominating bench (20 points in total, 31 in front) to make a difference in this part. Not really a problem, when you know that the incumbents have assured (all at 15 points or more) and that the Pistons were greatly reduced, but still not reassuring for all that, as the playoffs approach.
⛔ Jaden Ivey. The rookie does not lack good will and energy, but his game remains full of waste, like his 4/15 in shooting and his 4 ball losses, even his small 4/8 in throws. In the middle of a learning period, however, he is gaining welcome experience, even if he will clearly have to refine his game.
THE FOLLOWING
Detroit (16-55) : reception of Miami, on the night of Sunday to Monday (00:00).
Denver (47-23) : trip to New York, Saturday evening (6 p.m.).
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