Pistons at Nuggets final score: Pistons can’t hang with one of the West’s best, lose 115-98

The Detroit Pistons came in to Denver Tuesday evening seeking win number 20 as the Denver Nuggets looked for win number 40. Sheer talent won out as the Nuggets took care of business 115-98 to improve to 40-18. The Pistons are now 19-41.

Detroit trialed by 10 after three quarters, which was too close for comfort for the tanking community. Thankfully, Denver went on cruise control and won the fourth by seven. Denver even put Nikola Jokic back into the game up about 16 with six minutes to go. Very helpful for our tank. Way to go Denver!

Denver’s bench was lethal. Jerami Grant scored from all over, notching a career-high 29 on 16 shots. Michael Porter Jr. (a big favorite of mine) nearly had a double-double. Flint, Michigan native Monte Morris did his usual thing as the steady backup floor general that he is. Mason Plumlee, save for any type of shooting prowess, was very Jokic light at times.

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Donta Hall

The 6foot-9 forward made his NBA debut and asserted himself mostly quite well. Athleticism will never be a problem for Hall. He looked like he belonged in his 15 minutes of action: four boards (three offensive), a field goal and two free throws for the University of Alabama forward who has been killing it in Grand Rapids this season.

Khyri Thomas

Khyri didn’t do too much to impress anyone in 14 minutes. Khyri is a shooter and scorer, so let’s wait to cast him as horrible for at least a few more games. Please.

Derrick Walton Jr.

Walton Jr. played six minutes in his Pistons debut. Nothing much to note.

Christian Wood

Christian plays hard but sometimes is not very smart. The talent is there and you can see the growth on both ends of the court little by little. He’s learning to take advantage of his length and quickness. He played a team-high 34 minutes.

Sekou Doumbouya

Sekou played 28 minutes and failed to record a stat other than field goal attempts, one bucket and a foul. He drained a three and had a couple of other decent looks that just didn’t fall. In the first half he had a very nice contest in the paint on a Nugget guard, though overall there wasn’t a ton positive to take from Sekou in this game.

Brandon Knight

Brandon isn’t much of a point guard, however, he competes his butt off and can get pretty hot from downtown. He shot 4-of-9 from beyond long line tonight and was a big part of why the Pistons were down only 10 at the end of three. He’s playing for his next NBA deal and looks the part of a guy who can be a dependable third string point guard or two guard.

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The Pistons are doing a phenomenal job of tanking. How many in a row is that?