Nikola Jokic delivered another dominant performance, posting a triple-double with 23 points, 17 rebounds, and 15 assists as the Denver Nuggets defeated the Detroit Pistons 134-119 on Friday night.
Jamal Murray led all scorers with 31 points, while Michael Porter Jr. added 28 to help Denver improve to 39-21, keeping them second in the Western Conference standings. Christian Braun also stepped up with 23 points, matching Jokic’s scoring total.
The loss ended Detroit’s eight-game winning streak as the Pistons fell to 33-27. Malik Beasley led their bench with 16 points, but their starters struggled, getting outscored 113-54. Cade Cunningham had just 11 points on 3-for-12 shooting, finishing with five assists and three rebounds.
Denver set the tone early, scoring 39 points in the first quarter. They repeated that feat in the third, using a 27-9 run to take control of the game. During that stretch, Murray scored 12 points while Jokic contributed six rebounds and four assists.
By the time the fourth quarter began, the Nuggets held a commanding 107-87 lead. Detroit managed to trim the deficit in garbage time, but the outcome was never in doubt.
Jokic, despite shooting just 1-for-5 in the first half, had 10 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists by halftime. He got to the free-throw line frequently, converting eight of nine attempts while drawing enough contact to put Pistons big men Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart in foul trouble.
The Nuggets finished the night shooting 56% from the field and 54.8% from beyond the arc. Their offensive efficiency proved too much for a Pistons team that shot just 45.5% overall and 32.4% from deep.
Denver has now won 11 of its last 13 games and remains in strong contention for a top seed in the West. Meanwhile, Detroit has put together back-to-back winning months after enduring an NBA-record 37 straight months without a winning record.
