The Denver Nuggets play host to the Detroit Pistons at Ball Arena on Sunday.

The Pistons (11-34) have been playing much better recently, entering this matchup with a 6-6 record across their last 12 games. Some of the performances in there have been shocking, too, beating teams like the Utah Jazz, Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks. Having an extended .500 stretch like that makes this record hard to understand, with Detroit posting the second-worst record in the NBA. They were expected to have their fair share of struggles this season, and it's looking like another lost year. It has people talking about who Detroit will keep and who they'll move at the trade deadline, with Jerami Grant and Kelly Olynyk looking like the most likely candidates to be moved.

The Nuggets (23-21) have been playing well recently too, entering this matchup winning eight of their last 13 games. With that said, they were out-classed by the Memphis Grizzlies in their most recent outing on Friday. Nikola Jokic recorded his fourth straight triple-double in that defeat, but he needs some help going forward. Guys like Monte Morris, Will Barton, and Aaron Gordon have flashes moments of brilliance, but it's been far too inconsistent for a team that's expected to compete. The good news is that Jamal Murray is flirting the nine-month mark in his recovery from a torn ACL, and that means he could be on the floor sometime in the next month. Adding an All-Star point guard obviously won't hurt, and it'll be exciting to see him ad Jokic run their patented two-man game.

Denver has dominated this series over recent years, winning each of their last three meetings by 13 points or more.