National Basketball Association

The Detroit Pistons dispose of the Denver Nuggets 106-95

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Detroit Pistons finally overcame their three game losing skid AND winless-road drought by defeating the Denver Nuggets, 105-96.

After losing to the San Antonio Spurs friday night 86-96, the Detroit Pistons found a way to venture out a win against the Denver Nuggets thanks to an all-around solid performance by each of the starting five.

Finishing the road trip with a win over Denver will be a nice jump for the Pistons before returning home to play the Oklahoma City Thunder. Hopefully Detroit’s results Monday night will be similar to their success against the Nuggets.

Ish Smith

PG, Detroit Pistons

B-Ish Smith did well driving to the basket, finishing at the hole for 10 points, and dishing out eight assists against the Denver Nuggets. Four turnovers as well as the lack of attempting a three-point field goal wasn’t all too great. Expectations continue to be tempered in Smith’s scoring ability, but a lot of that is forgiven thanks to his ability to dish out assists.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

SG, Detroit Pistons

BKentavious Caldwell-Pope was solid for Detroit as he continued to score and play exceptional defense. Though, much like Ish Smith, his three-point shooting was concerning. Shooting 1-5 for three as well as 4-11 total reveals there is room for improvement. Though, being Detroit’s most lockdown defensive player, there is some leniency granted for the 23-year-old shooting guard.

Marcus Morris

SF, Detroit Pistons

A-After a temporary set of disappointing performances, Marcus Morris bounced back tonight against the Nuggets with 17 points, 2 steals, and 3 assists. He was one of the hottest Pistons tonight and was difficult to stop in the second half. For Detroit to duplicate their success going forward, a quality Marcus Morris performance will be of key value.

Tobias Harris

PF, Detroit Pistons

ALike Marcus Morris, Tobias Harris was one of the hotter Pistons tonight. The power forward finished with 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. As Harris had recently encountered trouble shooting the ball, he found his stroke tonight and made the Nuggets pay big time. Again, for Detroit to replicate their success going forward, a quality Tobias Harris performance will be key.

Andre Drummond

C, Detroit Pistons

BHaving encountering foul trouble early on, Andre Drummond was limited in his minutes. However, the big man made his presence felt when he was on the floor, finishing with 14 points on 7-11 shooting along with 12 rebounds. After starting the season slow, Drummond has really picked it up since the game against the Phoenix Suns. If he can continue to knock down free throws and work on his post-up game, he may very well be the best center in the league.

Beno Udrih

PG, Detroit Pistons

C+Beno Udrih continued his hot performance from the other night against the San Antonio Spurs (from the first half, really) and finished with 9 points of 4-7 shooting while dishing out 5 assists. Udrih has proven he was the right choice over Ray Mccallum and has fit well in Detroit’s system. He is ten times the point guard Steve Blake was and will be a nice asset serving as the third-string point guard after Reggie Jackson returns.

Stanley Johnson

SF, Detroit Pistons

D+Stanley Johnson was solid for the Detroit Pistons, but not too overly impressive. He finished with 5 points on 2-5 shooting and snagged 4 rebounds. The most exciting aspect of Johnson’s game, recently though, has been his growing confidence compared to the start of the season. If he can keep that up as well as limit turnovers, Johnson will continue to have a decent role for the Pistons.

Jon Luer

PF, Detroit Pistons

B+Jon Leuer was huge for the Detroit Pistons. Leuer shot 7-11 with 14 points and grabbed 10 boards in the 26 minutes he played. He was the spark off the bench Detroit needed, and seamlessly scored when given the ball. After a forgetful game against the Spurs, Leuer proved he was still the great addition Detroit signed over the off season.

Aaron Baynes

C, Detroit Pistons

D-Aaron Baynes did not have his best game. Within the 20 minutes he played, he had only four points with two rebounds. Fortunately, Baynes has played well recently, and Detroit proved they didn’t need a great performance from him due to every one else’s solid game.