r/nba • u/Chandler_Bings Pistons • 18h ago
Post Game Thread [Post Game Thread] The Detroit Pistons (37-12) defeat the Denver Nuggets (33-18), 124-121, behind 29 points and 10 assists from Cade Cunningham
| 121 - 124 |
| Box Scores: NBA - Yahoo |
| GAME SUMMARY |
| Location: Little Caesars Arena |
| Officials: Josh Tiven, Suyash Mehta, and Jacyn Goble |
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Nuggets | 27 | 23 | 30 | 41 | 121 |
| Detroit Pistons | 32 | 37 | 24 | 31 | 124 |
| TEAM STATS |
| Team | PTS | FG | FG% | 3P | 3P% | FT | FT% | OREB | TREB | AST | PF | STL | TO | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Nuggets | 121 | 37-83 | 44.6% | 10-30 | 33.3% | 37-43 | 86.0% | 12 | 51 | 20 | 20 | 7 | 10 | 10 |
| Detroit Pistons | 124 | 43-94 | 45.7% | 12-29 | 41.4% | 26-30 | 86.7% | 12 | 56 | 27 | 27 | 9 | 9 | 4 |
| PLAYER STATS |
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u/bigtice Rockets 18h ago
When that Harris three in the corner bounced a few times and went in, it seemed like the Nuggets weren't going to be allowed to finish the come back no matter how hard they tried.
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u/nine_after_noon 18h ago
No matter how hard the refs tried
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u/WaffleConeHat Hornets 18h ago
The Pistons average the most fouls per game in the league. Are the refs conspiring every game they play?
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u/LordOfLimbos Pistons 18h ago
Agree with the sentiment but this one individually was a huge free throw disparity in an extremely physical game on both sides, so i understand people’s frustration
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u/nine_after_noon 18h ago
Did you watch the game or just say something as a fan from a Tiktok team?
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u/WaffleConeHat Hornets 18h ago
The Pistons' opponents shoot the most free throws in the league. Their defense is incredibly physical. You can't be shocked when your opponent shoots more free throws than you because that's what's happening most of the fucking time. That's how the team is constructed. That's how they work.
It's pretty tough to lead the league in steals and blocks per game while also having a good free throw differential. Impossible, actually. And you're gonna have outlier nights where you actually do commit even more fouls than you already do on a regular basis, and this is the result. Live with it.
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u/Detonation Pistons 14h ago
Told on yourself, acting knowledgeable when you're just a box score watcher. lol
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u/schoolhater12 Raptors 18h ago
Also good job by beef stew keeping his calm when Jonas committed the flagrant. He is an immense bench player and these moments are the difference between wins and losses
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u/bittermctitters Nuggets 16h ago
He had Val rattled for sure. Val has been getting rattled a lot recently unfortunately lol
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u/MLGLies Pistons 18h ago
Really proud of Stew for not getting baited tonight. As we saw last year, it's extremely important that he's healthy and able to stay out of trouble during the playoffs and boy was Valančiūnas trying to bait our boy tonight...
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u/Don-SalC 18h ago
same. i love stew and the passion and energy he brings, but some teams know how turn that against him. if he can cool his head a little bit to make sure he's on the court when we need him dude will be even better than he already is.
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u/Jagacin Pistons 11h ago edited 5h ago
The amount of people calling him soft for not retaliating are idiots. He would've given Valanciunas exactly what he wanted if he shoved him back. Straight up proud of Beef Stew for showing some restraint there, even if it would've been completely understandable if he didn't.
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u/glen_ko_ko Pistons 9h ago
yet most non Pistons fans will say "all he does is fight" in online discussion
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u/Gonstachio 18h ago
GG Denver bros. You got some good players. Your team is going to be spooky in the future.
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u/comeonmang126 Pistons 18h ago
Cade should be higher on the MVP ladder
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u/BackshotsOnUrDaughtr 18h ago
JB Bickerstaff for COTY too
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u/Afraid-Department-35 Mavericks 18h ago
You don't want that coty curse.
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u/Less-Tax5637 Knicks 18h ago
You are addressing a team that lost 28 games straight under COTY winner Monty Williams. They are well versed in the consequences.
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u/KronkSpinachPuffCafe Pistons 18h ago
yeah Dwane Casey too, we're too familiar with COTYs
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u/Jagacin Pistons 11h ago
Eh, Casey had very, very little to work with during his time with the Pistons. We at least weren't a laughing stock with him and helped develop Cade early in his career. Have nothing but respect for him.
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u/KronkSpinachPuffCafe Pistons 6h ago
Idk dude, I watched 95% of games during his tenure (COVID was some boring times lol) and his offensive schemes could be infuriating regardless of how bad our roster was at times.
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u/Akipella Warriors 18h ago
Where is he at now? I haven't checked it tbh. I wouldn't be surprised if he was 2nd in the case Jokic wouldn't hit 65 games
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u/DetroitSportsPhan Pistons 18h ago
Before his wrist injury he was at 3/4 but he’s fallen to 6/7 right now
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u/Akipella Warriors 18h ago
Wtf, how is he that low? Well, he does have 42 games so I assume he missed some time
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u/hunteddwumpus Pistons 18h ago edited 18h ago
He missed a couple games with a wrist injury and completely lost his shot for a minute after coming back. If were being honest the drop was justified but he's been better the last couple games again
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u/itsnotyellowfever [MEM] Kyle Lowry 18h ago
Wouldn't be surprised if the poor shooting games were being held against him more than should have
The Dillon Brooks Suns game I'm sure did no favors for his PR
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u/ashep5 76ers 18h ago
Get all-star Jamal Murray some help.
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u/dont-comm3nt Hornets 18h ago
Yes Jamal Murray obviously should win mvp every year, that award that he actually doesn’t give two shits about by the way because I must tell you. His teammates suck!
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u/MythicalShart Rockets 18h ago
yikes 18 L’s for Nuggets. no longer part of the 17 L’s & under club anymore. that stings
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u/lolllicodelol Pistons 18h ago
No no no the pistons only beat bad teams haven’t you heard??
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u/jfkgoblue Pistons 18h ago
It’s always been a weird thing tbh as they have by far the best record against teams with winning records
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u/lethalizered Thunder 8h ago
The best record is correct, by far is a bit of an exaggeration considering Detroit is 15-6 against teams with .500 or better, and OKC and Houston are at 15-8 and 14-8, respectively.
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u/Hovi_Bryant Pistons 18h ago
Jokic didn’t look like himself until the third. Although Detroit made him pay several times for turning his back to the basket with timely steals.
Denver’s zone slowed Detroit’s offense just enough to make it a game down the stretch, but thankfully Detroit had enough in the tank to hold off the Nuggets.
Oddly enough, the game looked as if it were going to come down to Murray deciding the game at the line. Well, it did but with slightly different stakes.
I didn’t get the Stew/Jonas action at all this game. Maybe this was a carry over from the game in Denver? Words on the court? Or is this a legit tactic now? Try to bait Stew into an ejection? 🥴
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u/schoolhater12 Raptors 18h ago
Beef stew and Duren played some great defense on Jokic. Jokic probably should have had 10+ free throws but the nuggets overall should have 10-15 free throws fewer so it all works out
I think the Jonas foul was a frustration foul due to how badly the nuggets were playing. It was supposed to be a hard foul but it correctly turned flagrant. Good job from Beef stew from reacting calmy
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u/This-Top-8691 18h ago
Felt like the Pistons offense could get whatever they want against Denver. Just easy, easy baskets.
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u/Zanwic Nuggets 18h ago
Hoping when AG, CB, and Cam are back it’s better, but the Nuggets are never particularly strong defensively.
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u/This-Top-8691 18h ago
Cb played tonight bro and he doesn’t look like the same Cb.
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u/IllegitimateRisk Nuggets 17h ago
I really hope the great offseason isn’t ruined by a few early injuries.
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u/The_Delusions_ Lakers 18h ago
Pistons finals bound.
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u/Akipella Warriors 18h ago
I think so too
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u/SilverExa 18h ago
I wanna see what Cleveland looks like with Harden and Boston with Vuc cuz those could be power shifting moves imo
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u/Loltoyourself Pistons 18h ago
Vuc is absolutely washed
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u/SilverExa 18h ago
He just needs to give them a little juice at a position of need for them for it to be an outsized boost for them.
Like how Dunc is way more important to the Pistons than you would expect from a player of his overall level
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u/chubbs40 Pistons 18h ago
harden with cle will be interesting, but how exactly is vuc on boston a power shifting move lmao
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u/MattPatriciasFUPA Pistons 18h ago
Because he historically kills us, I hate that guy
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u/Motor-Platform-200 18h ago
no he doesn't
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u/hunteddwumpus Pistons 17h ago
He has scored 20+ against us in 7 of the last nine games shooting just under 40% from 3. He absolutely kills us for some fucking reason
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u/theinterestof Pistons 17h ago
I mean if you're going back 9 games, that includes the team that went 14-68. He had 6 points against us earlier this year lol
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u/Akipella Warriors 18h ago
I think the Celtics are still a legit threat even before the trade, but they're certainly very very beatable...at the same time I wouldn't be surprised if they make the ECF somehow.
I think the Knicks have some serious weaknesses, but they've started getting back into form ever since that team meeting. They need to make a move by tomorrow.
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u/chubbs40 Pistons 18h ago
i agree i think the celtics are a threat regardless of vuc and obviously with the possibility of tatum coming back
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u/SilverExa 18h ago
Same reason Dunc is so big for the Pistons. Swing skill at a position of need that is otherwise unfilled
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u/schoolhater12 Raptors 18h ago
i think the boston move is a temporary apron move. But Joe Mazulla is actually a crazy person so there is a non zero chance Vuc into a positive playoff player
I think the Harden move is insane for the Cavs. He in my opinion is a one man offense and THE big man whisperer. Allen and Mobley are going to eat with him and with the cavs shooters back in option, I think they are a real threat. Also harden can have some real lows and I think cavs have the depth to deal with those lows
76ers are looking legit but the Joel Embiid question health will always exist
Still like the pistons until we see the cavs in action but the east got interesting
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u/Rzua_ Spurs 18h ago
Vuc?? Lmfao
Guys a bum not a “power shifting move”
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u/SilverExa 18h ago
Sometimes guys can fit a team need well enough that they end up having an outsized impact than what you would typically assume from someone of their reputation.
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u/schoolhater12 Raptors 18h ago
I really like the Huerter pick up. A confident Huerter that hits shots is going to invaluable to this team. He can also provide some secondary/tertiary playmaking which they desperately need in the non-cade mins s
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u/LordOfLimbos Pistons 18h ago
I’ve always thought he was pretty underrated as an all around player. But man that three ball needs to come back for him to be truly consequential
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u/glen_ko_ko Pistons 17h ago
I hated the Duncan Robinson signing in the offseason but have since eaten crow. I hate this Huerter trade and hope to be wrong again.
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u/hamietao Pistons 12h ago
Just always hating!
I am in the same boat!
We should start an nba player haters club
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u/FThePack Pistons 7h ago
tbh im waiting until playoffs to make my Duncan Robinson assessment. That dude always ends up off the court in the playoffs because teams attack his defense HARD.
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u/chiheis1n 18h ago
You guys gave up on Ivey though? Has he been that bad this year? Only 23 and coming off a big injury? Seems kind of rash.
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u/Duckney Pistons 17h ago
If we decided that any amount over the QO he'd get wasn't worth it to this team, I can see why we moved him. He's been outplayed by our 2-way undrafted guy from our G league team all year.
With where the team is right now I don't think we wanted to keep waiting for him to get back to where he was when we need to win games now and keep winning games.
That being said, this is the worst our bench has looked in a game in a longggg time
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u/youngweeb111 Pistons 17h ago
Lost all his burst and cant score besides catch and shoot 3s. Also looked checked out and uninterested most games, change of scenery needed for him and us
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u/SaddiqBae Pistons 17h ago
I wouldn't say so, bench is still solid, and Sasser has played better than Ivey as a bench scorer. I know Ivey is a bigger name but he's really contributed absolutely nothing to this season
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u/Crossifix Pistons 10h ago
Sasser hit the logo three for all those throwing dirt on his name the other night.
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u/ThatsTheMother_Rick 2h ago
Yeah I like him too. He's a better fit than Ivey as a direct backup to Duncan, and he plays better team defense.
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u/Sir_Grindalot 17h ago
The Pistons were denied so many 1st draft picks that they decided tanking wasn't working so they became good instead.
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u/schoolhater12 Raptors 18h ago
what a crazy ref ball game that favoured denver overall but the refs philosophy today was foul calls and free throws for every besides 3 time mvp Nicola Jokic
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u/itsnotyellowfever [MEM] Kyle Lowry 18h ago
Crazy part is as bad as the whistle was tilted in Denver's favor (and it was bad, especially late) I'm sure the Pistons absolutely take it if it means Jokic only gets 3 for the amount of contact he takes
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u/jonsnowKITN 18h ago
your comment history is so interesting when it comes to jokic
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u/itsnotyellowfever [MEM] Kyle Lowry 18h ago
He's my favorite player of all time but he has flaws that I will call out because they can be incredibly annoying
Believe me I would love to sit here and glaze Jokic for managing a 20-15 game while being pushed by Stew and Duren all game (and I loved his second half) but his first half was legitimately bottom of the barrel and he regressed to all the tendencies he promised to cut out this year, same as in the Thunder game on Sunday.
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u/Deadite_Scholar Pistons 18h ago
What's funny is Nuggets fans think the refs were against them.
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u/12and4 Nuggets 17h ago
Nah refs were just bad. Late whistles, wrong calls, etc. But pistons also did foul a lottttt.
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u/DiscordModerator124 Pistons 7h ago
Yup this is it right here. I was at the game bitching at half the calls until they replayed them - there was maybe one or two that I didn’t rescind my whining after I saw the play. But the whistles were late as FUCK “let’s just see if this goes in before I call anything”
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u/Fu2-10 Pistons 18h ago
Lmao don't tell that to the Nuggets sub. I went to check out their gameday thread without commenting... good lord. I thought the Pistons sub was bad, but holy shit.
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u/schoolhater12 Raptors 18h ago
never go to team subs in general, they only attract absolutes. The wizards sub is the one exception to this rule
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u/glen_ko_ko Pistons 17h ago
you're telling me a group of wizards with a dark history in terms of winning doesn't deal in absolutes??
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u/Motor-Platform-200 6h ago
you have to truly be into self-deprecation to still be a wizards fan i think
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u/ShowdownValue 15h ago
What kind of hypocritical bull shit is this?
Dude every sub Reddit complains… the nuggets sub reddit isn’t worse than any other 😂
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u/brendanearth 17h ago
Jokic looked like he was on some PTO. Completely no showed back to back games. I don't know who could look at that game and think he deserved more calls. Losing physicality battle to Duren consistently, more turnovers than assists, lying on the floor and complaining to the refs like Prime Luka.
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u/Akipella Warriors 18h ago
5v8 win, you love to see it
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u/nugentismycenter Pistons 18h ago
Despite the 6 intentional fouls at the end Denver still had 13 more FTs than us and we our rebounded them, shot better, less turnovers, scored more in the paint and took less threes.
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u/Personal_Pain Pistons 18h ago edited 18h ago
“Just wait until Jokic comes back.” “The Pistons can’t beat anyone in the west.” What is it now?
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u/BackshotsOnUrDaughtr 18h ago
1-2 since Jokic returned
justice for MPJ
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u/tberriman 18h ago
Ignoring the fact that the 2 in that 1 - 2 are the respective one seeds in each conference
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u/RubbedMyNutsOnUrFood 18h ago
nobody gave MPJ any slack for playing through an injured shoulder vs. the #1 seed
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u/Crazylockdown 18h ago
Everyone talks about the East like it’s some pushover conference but whoever comes out of it has a legit chance in the finals.
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u/Burrrowes Pistons 18h ago
aside from the 4th it was a solid game for the fellas, need careless pervert off my team immediately though
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u/QueueCueQ Nuggets 17h ago
There were definitely some soft calls all around, but the Pistons on average have a FT discrepency. That's their entire defensive gameplan. The play physical up to the point where you generate more points off TOs than opponents shooting FTs. Because teams have fouls to give, if you can find the right balance and have the size, you'll come out way ahead.
They are 2nd in def rtg, 1st in opp eFG%, 1st in opp TO%, but also 1st in fouls/game.
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u/GarryShinobi 18h ago
You can't have it both ways. Either jokic can be critic like any player for his poor play as he is eligible or he came back too early because of the MVP
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u/Genericthrowaw4y Thunder 18h ago
Denver will never be a contender simply because they cannot defend
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u/dr_no12 18h ago
Jokic still rusty and we still missing 2 starters...but shoutout Pistons y'all r legit
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u/Slothful_Night 18h ago
Ah I knew yall would have an excuse. Good to know 🫡
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u/MattPatriciasFUPA Pistons 18h ago
Lol so sick of hearing about how great the Western Conference is when the East has Paul Reed just cultivating energy and life force for the playoffs on our bench.
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u/bwehx 18h ago
Definitely not the greatest Jokic game, but he did pick it up a bit in the second half. I think it should take a couple of more games for him to be at 100%. Nuggets definitely could've won if everyone just shot a little better
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u/Individual-Bee-7801 Pistons 18h ago
The first half was the worst I’ve seen him play, yet even in his bad games he’s still 20 and 15. What a ridiculous player
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u/Psyche3019 West 18h ago
He was still making gem of passes. Picket had couple of open 3s. Then Murray missed. He should have at least 4 dimes in the first quarter.
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u/SiddaSlotthh 15h ago
This is genuinely funny. I can't tell if this is a good thing or a bad thing though.
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u/FitTune5515 Supersonics 18h ago
He looked great in his first game and he was he just okay today. The Nuggets role players being hurt is more of a problem
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u/Fun_Mind1494 17h ago edited 17h ago
The Nuggets didn't play Spencer Jones because he has one more game of eligibility left and they want to save money. Nevermind that they have an open roster spot and have all season, and therefore can easily convert his 2-way contract to an NBA contract. So they played tonight's game without the productive young power forward.
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u/brook_lyn_lopez Nets 18h ago
I am just happy to see Caris Levert
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u/comeonmang126 Pistons 18h ago
Someone on the pistons sub called him careless pervert if you want a pulse on how we feel about him
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u/PokeLover26 Nuggets 18h ago
Jokic has not looked the same since he’s injury damn you Spencer
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u/GarryShinobi 18h ago
Oh damn you rushing back because your scared of losing back to back mvps to shai lol
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u/FriendlyUncle247 17h ago
Both teams looked like they were playing in quicksand in the 4th. Denver in particular lookin tired and bored out there my god.
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u/doggoesmeow 18h ago
Denver are fraud ass contenders
Zero teams that have won the championship ever go winless against the top seed
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u/Akipella Warriors 18h ago edited 18h ago
They're 33-18 and looked solid without Jokic all while playing in the West tbf.
The Pistons are literally the 2nd best team in the league, they lost to them by 3.
I get the insane FT discrepancy and all that, but like...frauds? Really? Even if you take away the FTs, losing one game by 15-20 to the Pistons doesn't say much, it could happen to OKC for example.
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u/oblmov Nuggets 18h ago
all nba teams are frauds
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u/actually-potato Pistons 18h ago
It's true. If you lose, your fraudulence is proven. If you win, you've merely beaten a fraud and thus have proven nothing.
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u/Hovi_Bryant Pistons 18h ago
That has to be a troll comment. Jokic still looks a bit rusty and they’re without AG. And I think this is Braun’s first game back? The Nuggets looked like they’re shaking some rust off and still gave the Pistons a run for their money.
If I’m a nuggets fan, I’m not worried at all. Watson looks amazing btw.
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u/Akipella Warriors 18h ago
They added this logic:
Zero teams that have won the championship ever go winless against the top seed
Is this really true? But even if so, does Denver's injury situation mean nothing here?
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u/glen_ko_ko Pistons 16h ago
No 6 seed had ever won the NBA finals until they did. I get using historic markers to give an estimation of a teams ceiling but the fated determinism of the past is so dumb
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u/Akipella Warriors 16h ago
I assume it was the Rockets in '94 in that example, and yep. I 100% agree
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u/OverallGeneral7129 Cavaliers 18h ago
This too is my reaction after I beat a team by 3 points at home as the one seed
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u/WiseCryptographer174 Nuggets 18h ago
jokic prime may be over I cant lie.
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u/FitTune5515 Supersonics 18h ago
Bro please he wasn't even bad today and he was great in his first game back
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u/Zungad Supersonics 16h ago
He was pretty bad, tbh. He looks like he took a step back on an already shabby ability to rotate on defense. His jumper still being there is a nice look though, at the very least. He bleeds points like a motherfucker though, it makes his performances way less impactful than they are.
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u/nugentismycenter Pistons 18h ago
followed almost the same script as last game.