DENVER (AP) – Jamal Murray was hitting jumpers. Nikola Jokic found open teammates.
Simple as that, the Denver Nuggets were rolling.
Murray scored a season-high 37 points, Jokic had 16 assists and the nuggets handed the Pistons their 18th straight road loss by topping Detroit 131-114 on Sunday night.
Murray followed a scoreless game against Orlando on Friday with a rebound, hitting 14 of 24 shots from the floor. He was also 6 of 7 from the free throw line.
“His energy and his will to win are truly contagious,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “When he sees that ball go in, he’s really out of control.”
Jokic was more distributor and shot blocker than scorer, taking only three shots and finishing with four points. The two-time NBA MVP tied a career high with five blocked shots between two, setting up his teammates for easy buckets around the rim. He had a chance for a career-high 18 assists, but did not play in the fourth quarter with the game in hand.
“Unusual stat line,” Murray cracked of his pick-and-roll teammate.
The Pistons fell to 1-19 on the road, with their only road victory coming on October 27 at Charlotte.
Jalen Duren led Detroit with 20 points, while Alec Burks added 18. Cade Cunningham had three points before leaving midway through the second quarter with a left knee strain.
“We lost. We lost a lot. So, I would be lying if I said I was happy with everything that happened in the match,” Duren said when asked if he helped Jokic just four points. “He always affected the game and did a lot for his team.”
Denver won the last game against Detroit 107-103 on November 20 in a game where Jokic and Malone were ejected for arguing. Jokic won another Sunday technical for what was deemed a miss. He exaggerated the contact when he pushed to the wing in the third quarter.
Shortly after, Peyton Watson was pushed by Ausar Thompson while running on the ground and fell to the ground. Watson became angry, but was restrained by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Authorities called Thompson for flagrant fouling.
“The energy I needed. I fed off it,” said Watson, who had 13 of his 15 points in the third quarter. “It definitely gave me some energy. I’m glad I was able to progress from there.
It was a productive third quarter for Denver as the team outscored the Pistons by a margin of 43-28 to take control of the game. It was a departure from the last two games in which Denver struggled to come out of intermission. Murray also did his part, reminding his teammates in the lane of the importance of stepping up on defense in the second half.
His words were as effective as his jump.
“We just wanted to hold ourselves accountable,” Murray said. “I think we did a good job getting ready to play, knowing this team, they try to win.”
Michael Porter Jr. and Caldwell-Pope each had 18 points for a Nuggets team that improved to 18-0 this season against sub-.500 teams. The Pistons fell to 0-19 against teams above .500.
The Pistons lost their fourth straight game. This slip follows the end of their 28-game losing streak, an NBA record, against Toronto on December 30.
“We had some incidents tonight,” Pistons coach Monty Williams said, referring to the 43 points the Pistons allowed in the crucial third quarter. “We just have to get over the hump when it comes to these kinds of neighborhoods.”
FOLLOWING
Pistons: Begin a three-game homestand Tuesday against Sacramento.
Nuggets: at Utah on Wednesday.
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