Shorthanded Pistons squeeze out close win over Nuggets

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (NBA.com exclusive) -- On paper, the injury-depleted Pistons seem to be overmatched every game. On the court, Detroit keeps receiving unlikely contributions and blindsiding unsuspecting opponents.

Without four key players, the Pistons stretched their winning streak to four games by knocking off Western Conference power Denver 101-99 on Thursday night.

The Pistons had only two healthy guards but still withstood a 40-point barrage from Carmelo Anthony to pull within two games of .500.

"Am I surprised? I'm just glad," Pistons first year head coach John Kuester said. "I'm happy we're weathering some of these storms."

Kuester has managed to keep his team prepared and upbeat, despite being forced to improvise on a regular basis. His current starting lineup has only one true scorer in Rodney Stuckey, but strong man-to-man defense and solid rebounding have the Pistons playing above their heads.

The Pistons held the league's highest scoring team 10 points below their average by disrupting the Nuggets' half court sets and choking off the fast break.

Denver had more turnovers (15) than assists (14) and got outscored on the fast break 18-10. The Nuggets, who were playing without Kenyon Martin (dislocated pinkie), had to rely on Anthony's wondrous one-on-one moves to stay in the game.

Anthony did not touch the ball on the final play. Chauncey Billups, the Pistons' former Mr. Big Shot, failed in the clutch as he missed a layup attempt while well guarded by Stuckey and Ben Wallace.

"If I could do it all over again, I know I had a look early in the play but we got what we wanted," said Billups, who had 21 points but shot just 6-for-16. "We were trying to get the ball in my hands or Melo's hands and try to tie it up."

Though the Nuggets are nine games over .500, Billups says his team has a long way to go before it can be called a championship contender.

"We're not a great team," he said. "We're a good team, we're not a great team. We've got an opportunity to get a lot better. Our window is really big. We should be winning games like this. When you're supposed to win, you've got to win. And great teams do that."

No one would consider the Pistons a great team but they might be the grittiest at the moment. They made do Thursday without guards Richard Hamilton, Ben Gordon and Will Bynum, who are all nursing ankle sprains, and forward Tayshaun Prince, who has a back injury.

Stuckey had 25 points while the team's other healthy guard, opening day third-stringer Chucky Atkins, contributed nine points and three assists without a turnover in 35 minutes.

"You've got to give Chucky Atkins a lot of credit," Kuester said. "He's running the team and doing a great job of getting people in position."

Charlie Villanueva mainly relied on his jump hook while scoring a team-high 27 points. Ben Wallace led the rebounding effort with 16 as the Pistons won that battle, 43-37. They entered the game second in rebounding percentage.

Wallace had three crucial offensive rebounds, including a tip-in, and a steal after the Nuggets tied the game at 96-96.

"Ben is playing great," Billups said. "He's rejuvenated himself. He's all over the place, blocking shots, getting rebounds and tip-outs."

The Pistons' trio of rookies also played significant roles. Jonas Jerebko had 12 points and eight rebounds, Austin Daye had seven points and DaJuan Summers supplied a fourth-quarter 3-pointer and stole the ball from Anthony. The 6-foot-11 Daye played 23 minutes out of position at shooting guard but his length helped to force the Nuggets out on the perimeter.

"What you see is an aggressive group of young guys," Atkins said. "All our rookies are stepping up and making big plays and our veterans are stepping up and doing things. We refuse to die. We are actually deeper now because our younger guys are getting some minutes, stepping up and making plays for us."

Denver coach George Karl wants to see the same from his role players.

"I think a lot of times consistency is our issue," he said. "Some of our losses, we give a team that is young, struggling a little bit and doesn't have a great record, we give them hope and confidence by not really going after them at the beginning of the game."

Source: Dana Gauruder, NBA.com