Denver at Detroit

The Pistons nipped the Nuggets, 109-107, in Denver last Tuesday. It has only been a week since that game, but the landscape has changed. Nikola Jokic is back from a knee injury that sidelined him for about a month, including that loss to Detroit. Few would argue that Jokic is not the best all-around player in the NBA. Jokic is averaging 29.3 points a game, 12 rebounds a game and 10.7 assists per game. The Nuggets have won and covered their last six away games. Until losing to the world champion Thunder two days ago at home, the Nuggets were giving up an average of only 103.6 points a game during their last five games. Detroit is playing for the fourth time in six days. The Pistons lack the Nuggets' urgency, having the best record in the Eastern Conference and being 5.5 games ahead of the Knicks and Celtics, their closest competitors. Take the Nuggets.