Denver’s final weekend in the familiar confines of Ball Arena for a couple of weeks didn’t get off to an ideal start, with a 122-118 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies preventing the Nuggets from building more momentum following their overtime victory over the LA Clippers.
Despite a fourth-consecutive triple-double from Nikola Jokić, the Nuggets struggled to stop Ja Morant (38 points) and didn’t get enough production off the bench (17 points from the second unit) to pull off the comeback victory.
The Nuggets (23-21) must now turn their attention to closing the homestand with a win against the rebuilding Detroit Pistons.
Detroit (11-34) has struggled as expected this season, with key injuries digging a further hole for the young team to try and climb out of. The Pistons own the league’s worst offense this season per Cleaning the Glass, while their defense also ranks in the bottom five of the league.
Denver won both meetings between the two teams last season.
JAMAL MURRAY – LEFT KNEE INJURY RECOVERY/HEALTH AND SAFETY PROTOCOLS. OUT.
MICHAEL PORTER JR. – LUMBAR SPINE SURGERY. OUT.
VLATKO CANCAR – RIGHT FOOT SURGERY. OUT.
JAMYCHAL GREEN – HEALTH AND SAFETY PROTOCOLS. QUESTIONABLE.
JEFF GREEN – LEFT QUADRICEPS CONTUSION. QUESTIONABLE.
TUNE-IN: 6 p.m. MT, Altitude TV and 92.5FM
As mentioned earlier, Detroit has struggled mightily on both ends of the floor, although a key reason the Pistons rank higher on the defensive end of the floor is a result of their ability to force turnovers at a high rate.
Detroit ranks eighth in the league in opponent turnover percentage, forcing teams to cough it up on 14.9 percent of their possessions this season. The Nuggets have had their fair share of struggles when it comes to taking care of the ball but have settled in right around the league average in turnover percentage (14.2 percent). Denver must avoid mistakes in order to limit easy scoring opportunities for Detroit’s struggling offense.
Can the second unit get back on track?
Despite Bryn Forbes’ Nuggets debut Friday night, the Mile High squad’s bench group couldn’t find a rhythm in the loss to Memphis. Forbes scored nine points in his 19 minutes of action (on 4-of-13 shooting), while Zeke Nnaji scored the other eight bench points for Denver.
Bones Hyland and Facundo Campazzo failed to get on the scoreboard, and Memphis capitalized to the tune of a 35-17 edge in bench points. Sunday’s matchup with Detroit presents the Nuggets with a bounce-back opportunity on the second unit and might present an opportunity for DeMarcus Cousins to make his Nuggets debut.
Attack the basket early and often
Detroit’s defense has been effective in limiting 3-point attempts this season, but that has opened up opportunities for teams to attack the paint as a result. The Pistons rank 23rd in the league in opponent frequency of shot attempts coming from within four feet of the rim this season, and teams have connected on 64.8 percent of those attempts.
For a Nuggets team that has thrived around the rim this season (68.9 percent, fourth-highest percentage in the league), Sunday’s matchup against Detroit should present plenty of scoring opportunities inside the paint.
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