NBA: Winning Pistons make free throws, Nuggets don't at dramatic finish

Cade Cunningham scored 22 points and dished out 11 assists, while Tobias Harris added 22 points, including two crucial free throws with just two seconds remaining, as the visiting Detroit Pistons edged the Denver Nuggets 109-107 on Tuesday night.

Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson each contributed 14 points, while Ronald Holland II and Javonte Green added 10 points apiece for Detroit, which has now won nine of its last 11 games.

Jamal Murray led Denver with 24 points but missed key free throws in the closing seconds that could have sent the game into overtime. Down 107-104, Murray was fouled on a 3-point attempt, missed the first shot, and made the next two for a one-point deficit. After Harris converted his free throws, Murray was fouled again with 0.7 seconds remaining. He made the first shot, missed the second, and intentionally missed the third, sealing Detroit’s win.

For Denver, Jonas Valanciunas had a double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds. Bruce Brown also scored 16 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. added 14, Peyton Watson contributed 13, and Spencer Jones finished with 12. The Nuggets have now lost three consecutive home games.

The Nuggets were playing for the first time since Friday night, following an unscheduled break after their game at the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday was postponed due to bad weather. Denver spent three nights in Memphis before returning home Monday morning. Forward Aaron Gordon, who reinjured his right hamstring in Milwaukee, did not play.

Detroit led by 11 early in the fourth quarter, but the Nuggets chipped away, getting within 95-90 on Watson’s 10-footer with 5:25 remaining. Green scored on an offensive rebound, and Cunningham’s short jumper made it 99-92. Murray’s three-point play and fallaway jumper narrowed the lead to 99-97, but Cunningham responded with a floater. After Murray missed at the other end, Harris hit a layup to extend the Pistons’ lead to 103-97 with 1:33 left.

After a timeout, Murray made a fadeaway, Cunningham missed a turnaround shot, and Hardaway’s 3-pointer cut the deficit to one point with 56 seconds remaining. Harris then hit a turnaround jumper with 18 seconds left, setting the stage for the final sequence.

Detroit Pistons 109, Denver Nuggets 107.

—Field Level Media/Reuters