LIVE BLOG: Denver Nuggets vs Detroit Pistons

Feb 8, 2014; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Denver Nuggets small forward Wilson Chandler (21) drives to the basket against the Detroit Pistons during the third quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Pistons won 126-109. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

The wait is finally over! The Denver Nuggets season gets underway tonight as the team hosts the Detroit Pistons at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Join NuggLove editor S.E. Shepherd for an update on all the action throughout tonight’s contest. (Newest posts/updates appear at the top of the page.)

11:35 p.m. ET: Nuggets win! After playing close for most of the game, the Nuggets were able to pull away from the Pistons in the fourth quarter to secure the 89-79 victory. There were a lot of bright spots tonight, including double-doubles from Faried (22 points and 17 boards) and Mozgov (13 points and 11 rebounds). Arron Afflalo celebrated his return to Denver with 15 points. Jusuf “The Bosnian Beast” Nurkic looked really promising, with 5 points and 7 boards in just 13 minutes of action. And Alonzo Gee showed he might be one of the better defenders on the team, playing some solid minutes in the fourth quarter. A great victory for the Nuggets. Thanks for joining us and check back tomorrow for more reactions to tonight’s game.

11:29 p.m. ET:

11:24 p.m. ET: Mozgov tips in the Afflalo miss and gives the Nuggets an 84-77 lead with a minute and a half left. 11:21 p.m. ET: 

11:15 p.m. ET: 

11:13 p.m. ET: Just over 5 minutes left in the game and the Nuggets lead 79-73. Let’s see if they can close it out. 11:06 p.m. ET: 

10:55 p.m. ET: The third quarter comes to an end and the Nuggets are still out in front, 65-63. Will be interesting to see if Gallo plays in the fourth since he’s already at 18 minutes (Shaw indicated he was on a 20-minute limit imposed by the training staff). 10:54 p.m. ET: 

10:49 p.m. ET: Two minutes left in the third quarter and the Nuggets still lead by 5, 64-59. 10:48 p.m. ET:

10:44 p.m. ET: 

10:36 p.m. ET:

10:32 p.m. ET: With under 9 minutes to go in the third quarter, Nuggets lead 49-44. Kenneth Faried posts his first double double of the young season (13 points and 11 boards so far). 10:14 p.m. ET: 

10:09 p.m. ET: At the end of the first half, the Nuggets lead the Pistons 42-40. Faried nearly posts a double-double, putting up 11 points and 8 boards. Mozgov looked solid as well, adding 7 points, 4 boards and a block. The pace of the game has been slow, almost deliberately so. Nuggets are really looking to work the half court sets and get the ball inside to their bigs. Hope to see them run a bit more in the second half, but it appears the jog-and-slog pace is what coach Shaw is preaching this year. 10:06 p.m. ET:

10:01 p.m. ET: Not Nuggets related but this is hilarious:

9:53 p.m. ET: And just like that, the Pistons pull ahead 32-38. Nuggets can’t get out in transition and their half court sets haven’t looked sharp this period. 9:50 p.m. ET: Nuggets leading 32-29 with 7 minutes left in the half. 9:45 p.m. ET:

9:38 p.m. ET: First quarter ends with the Nuggets leading 23-21. Both teams shooting right around 43% from the field. Josh Smith leads all scorers with 15. Faried has 6 points for the Nuggets; Gallo, Mozgov and Afflalo all have 4 points.

9:34 p.m. ET: With just under two minutes left to play in the first quarter, the Nuggets lead 23-19. Faried has 6 points and 3 rebounds, but Josh Smith has dropped 13 on Faried and the Nuggets so far. Gotta find a way to slow him down.

9:25 p.m. ET: Gallo hits two free throws, giving him his first two points since returning from 18 months of injury time.  Nice to have him back.

9:16 p.m. ET: Faried and Mozgov both come out with scoring on their minds. Both looking great early.

9:10 p.m. ET: Gallo, Afflalo, McGee and Manimal get the biggest cheers from the crowd during team intros. Afflalo thanks the fans and ends with, “Let’s get it going.” Indeed!

8:58 p.m. ET: Tonight’s starting lineup will be Ty Lawson, Arron Afflalo, Danilo Gallinari, Kenneth Faried and Timofey Mozgov.

8:30 p.m. ET: Hey, Denver Nuggets fans! Welcome to the first live blog of the 2014-15 NBA regular season. You gotta love this time of year, when every team is still dreaming of hoisting a championship trophy. It figures to be a very interesting season for the Nuggets. If everyone can stay healthy, Denver boasts one of the deepest rosters in the league. Head coach Brian Shaw has options on top of options with this group of players, and it will be fascinating to watch players find and accept their roles on a team that is 2 – 3 deep at every position. Tonight’s game versus the Pistons should be a good test to see where the Nuggets are at as they enter the season. They are coming off of a 29-win season and while they have several strong front-court players, their backcourt shouldn’t give the Nuggets many problems. I’m looking forward to a competitive game and, hopefully, a Nuggets home victory. It’s time to erase the bad memories of last season and start the long, hard journey back to the playoffs. Be sure to check back throughout the night for the latest updates. GO NUGGETS!