The Detroit Pistons have no shortage of young talent ready to make an impact. But when they get involved in back-and-forth matchups, they always have their “safety blanket” to deliver in clutch moments.
In veteran forward Tobias Harris’ 1,000th career game, he took on a feature role, sharing top scoring honors with Cade Cunningham as each scored 22 points with some key makes down the stretch in a 109-107 victory over the Denver Nuggets.
Harris added eight rebounds and three assists while Cunningham had 11 assists without a turnover to begin Detroit’s three-game Western Conference road trip on a positive note.
The Pistons only turned the ball over seven total times in the game, with just one coming from the Detroit starters.
With the Nuggets playing without star center Nikola Jokic, the Pistons had their way down low early. Jalen Duren and Harris led a 24-point effort in the paint during the first quarter.
Cunningham added some offense of his own, starting 3-for-3 from the field with some crafty work underneath to set up short-range baskets.
A 10-2 run from Detroit’s bench that saw Javonte Green score six in the quarter helped push the Pistons to a 31-18 advantage while shooting almost 25% better than Denver from the field.
Ron Holland set off on a hot start in the second quarter off a three-pointer and put-back on a miss put the Pistons up a game-high 18 points.
Even down key players, Denver didn’t go away quickly, finding a 14-2 run to surge back in the game while the Pistons shot just 33% in the second quarter.
Three-point shooting didn’t go Detroit’s way with a 2-of-18 start and the Nuggets got as close as two points before halftime.
A late make from Harris and Ausar Thompson working six points in the paint — as part of a 14-point, five-steal performance — allowed the Pistons to hold a 52-46 lead at halftime.
Duren came out of the break with a pair of quick baskets and a trip to the foul line to get the Pistons up 13, again.
The Nuggets kept fighting back, but Cunningham was always there to make some room. His highlight three while taking a foul played a part in an eight-point, four-assist period for the All-Star guard.
Jaden Ivey provided some important makes, ruling late in the clock at the end of the third. He hit a deep three as the shot clock expired, before sinking another right at the third-quarter buzzer to put Detroit up 10 point.
The Nuggets found their key run in the fourth, scoring seven straight midway through the quarter and getting back into striking distance.
Denver’s Jamal Murray managed to slip a basket past Duren, while taking a foul and, after sinking the foul shot, hit a pull-up jump shot to get within two points.
Leave it to Cunningham and Harris to quell momentum as they got back-to-back shots to fall down and push the Pistons back ahead by multiple baskets. Former Pistons guard Tim Hardaway Jr. came up with a clutch three in the final minute to bring the lead down to one point.
Out of a timeout, the Pistons ran a flawless play with Green finding a cutting Duncan Robinson for his first make of the game. Harris would hit a step-back mid-ranger and a pair of foul shots that pushed Detroit to the end.
Murray had the chance to tie the game for Denver twice after Green was called for a foul on two different three-point attempts in the closing seconds. However, on both trips Murray missed at least one free throw and the Pistons escaped with a victory.
[**BOX SCORE**](https://go.skimresources.com?id=126006X1587345&xs=1&xcust=jacob-richman%7C&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nba.com%2Fgame%2Fdet-vs-den-0022500668%2Fbox-score%23box-score&product_category=Sporting+Goods%3EAthletics%3EBasketball)
**Up next:** The Pistons continue their road trip against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday. Detroit won the first matchup of the season against the Suns, 108-105.