The Pistons (20 - 31) knocked off the Nuggets (19 - 32) 98 - 88 in Detroit on Friday night. Detroit got out to a seven - point first quarter lead and extended the margin to 14 points by halftime. The Pistons led by as much as 20 points in the third quarter before allowing Denver to slice into the lead in the final period. The Nuggets pulled to within 10 midway through the fourth, but Detroit continued to hit shots and went 10 - for - 10 at the line in the final minute to ice the game. D.J. Augustin paced Detroit with 22 points and 11 assists in 34 minutes. Andre Drummond added 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Greg Monroe finished with 21 points and 21 boards. Detroit out - rebounded Denver by a nine - board margin and won the points in the paint battle 52 - 36. Denver, which has dropped five straight and 12 of its last 13, got 20 points and nine assists from Ty Lawson, who shot 6 - of - 12 from the field in a game - high 39 minutes. Wilson Chandler added 11 points and five rebounds, and Kenneth Faried chipped in 10 points. Danilo Gallinari reached double - figures off the bench, finishing with 12 points and six rebounds in 30 minutes. Darrell Arthur did as well, going for 10 points on 4 - of - 9 shooting. Up next, the Nuggets return home to host the Thunder on Monday. Detroit welcomes the Timberwolves to the Palace of Auburn Hills on Sunday evening.
["TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 31 Losses ,has 98 Total points ,has 20 Points in 3rd quarter ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 32 Losses ,has 88 Total points ,has 20 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 13 Turnovers ,has 19 Wins ."]