The Nuggets may have lost a close one to the Pistons in their first meeting this season, but it won't take much to exact revenge and right the ship when Denver goes to Detroit for the first game of their trip out east. The top team in the Eastern Conference didn't necessarily outplay the Nuggets. Denver was missing Nikola Jokic, the best basketball player in the world. Plus, Jamal Murray had an uncharacteristically off-night from the free-throw line, too, missing two in crunch time. It was the perfect recipe for a home loss.
However, the rubber game will feature the Nuggets at seemingly full force. Jokic is healthy, albeit on a minutes restriction after playing 24 and 29 minutes in his first two games back from a knee injury. Christian Braun is finally approaching a return to the active lineup, officially listed as questionable. Only Cameron Johnson and Aaron Gordon remain sidelined indefinitely. It's the closest Denver has been to whole in weeks.
Murray also isn't likely to miss five free-throws like he did in the loss. He's a career 87% from the charity stripe, and he's shooting 88% this year. He's still one of the greatest clutch Nuggets' performers; one off night for the first-time All-Star is acceptable because we're more likely to see "Bubble" Murray than we are to see that happen again.
Setting the tone early is key
In the first meeting, the Nuggets fell behind in the first quarter and had to play catch-up the rest of the way. You can't do that against the top teams, especially the ones that play great defense like the Pistons do. In fact, slow starts have been common at times for the Nuggets this season. If they can set the tempo early, it will be hard for the Pistons to slow down one of the league's top offenses with a healthy Joker back on the court. Pushing the pace early and keeping the aggressive tempo will be key to starting the road trip off with a win.
It's a huge game for both teams in what could be an NBA Finals preview. The Nuggets need to win to keep up with the Spurs for the second seed in the crowded Western Conference race. A loss could see them slip to fourth, tied with the Rockets. Playoff positioning to avoid an early-round matchup with OKC will be important as the season winds down. Every game matters.