Emmanuel Mudiay, Nuggets spoil Chauncey Billups night by beating Pistons

It was Chauncey Billups night as the Detroit Pistons retired Mr. Big Shot’s No. 1 jersey and it will now hang in the rafters of The Palace. It was a special night for Denver’s native son. One can only hope the Nuggets will one day bestow the same honor on Billups and let his No. 1 hang from the rafters at Pepsi Center.

The game itself was a back and forth battle in the first half. Both teams traded leads but could not sustain them, as the Pistons took a one-point lead into halftime. Emmanuel Mudiay overcame a slow start to the game and finished the half with a team high 10 points. Detroit was led by Marcus Morris and Andre Drummond as each finished with 13 points in the first 24 minutes of the game.

It was again back and forth in the third quarter, as the Nuggets led by as many as eight, but the Pistons would not go away. It would be a four point lead for Denver heading into the fourth quarter. In the final period the Nuggets seemed in control before Anthony Tolliver hit back-to-back three pointers to trim Denver’s lead to one with 7:33 to play. On the next possession Randy Foye responded with a three of his own to answer the Pistons rally. After that Will Barton took the game over as he led the way in closing things out for Denver.

With the victory, Denver sweeps the regular season series with Detriot and improves to 1-0 all time on Chauncey Billups nights. It was a great effort to take the game over late and get a 103-92 victory.

Where/When

The Palace at Auburn Hills – Auburn Hills, MI | Feb. 10th, 2016

Stars of the Game

1.) Emmanuel Mudiay – The rookie played with poise and aggression for most of the night. Watching the youngster improve before our eyes night in and night out is something that should not be taken for granted. Emmanuel’s progression over the last month or so has shown just how high of a ceiling the rookie truly does have. He finished the night with 14 points on 6-12 shooting and 6 assists.

2.) Gary Harris – It can be easy to forget about Harris sometimes, but make no mistake he is quietly having a great year. The passion, energy and smarts that he brings to the floor each and every night is a big ingredient needed for Nuggets success. He made big play after big play tonight and finished with 11 points.

3.) Will Barton – The Thrill took the game over midway through the fourth quarter. He got hot and the Nuggets were finally able to pull away from an undermanned Pistons squad thanks to Barton’s 15 point quarter. He finished the game with 20 points, it was his 43rd game this season with 10+ points.

Final Shot

It was a team effort as Mudiay, Harris, Barton, Danilo Gallinari (15), Kenneth Faried (12), and Jusuf Nurkic (16) all finished the game with double digit scoring totals. Balanced scoring has been a recipe for success all year and tonight was no different for Denver.

This was also the best game of the season for Nurkic. He was a force defensively and scored at will inside, finishing with the aforementioned 16 points on 8-12 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds in a season-high 24 minutes.

What’s Next

The Nuggets now have a nine day break as the NBA celebrates All Star weekend in Toronto. Will Barton will participate in the Slam Dunk Contest and Emmanuel Mudiay and Nikola Jokic will play in the Rising Stars Challenge.

After the break, Denver will travel to Sacramento to face the Kings and former Nuggets head coach George Karl on Friday, Feb. 19th. The Kings are currently one game ahead of the Nuggets in the Western Conference standings. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. MST.