The Denver Nuggets defeated the Detroit Pistons, 110-105, at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday night.

The Nuggets (25-21) were expected to run away with the game against the Pistons (11-36), and while that seemed to be the case during prolonged stretches, it’s also worth noting that Detroit attempted a late comeback in the fourth quarter and Denver had to tighten things up to avoid the upset. The Pistons jumped out to a 34-32 lead in the first quarter and bolstered that advantage to 10 points after a 35-27 score in the second quarter, setting up the stage for what would’ve been a comfortable victory. The Nuggets extended their edge to 12 points with a 28-26 score in the third quarter, but Detroit didn’t give up and tried to mount a comeback late in the fourth. Even though the Pistons won the final quarter by seven points (20-13), they fell short and couldn’t stage what would’ve been an epic comeback against one of the best teams in the Western Conference.

Nikola Jokic led the way for Denver and ended just one assist shy of what would’ve been a double-double, as he ended with 28 points, 21 rebounds and nine assists. Jeff Green had 20 points and four rebounds, and Aaron Gordon contributed 16 points, five rebounds and five assists. Monte Morris had 12 points, eight rebounds and three assists, and Austin Rivers chipped in with 10 points. No other Denver player scored in double digits.

Cade Cunningham had another impressive performance and finished with 34 points while also adding eight rebounds and eight assists, and Hamidou Diallo contributed 14 points and five boards. Saddiq Bey notched 21 points, three assists and two steals, and Frank Jackson added 11 points coming off the bench. Trey Lyles delivered 10 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.