The Detroit Pistons were able to overcome a 16 point second-half deficit to tie the game at 111 with just over 1 minute to go, but two late turnovers sealed their fate and they fell to the Denver Nuggets 117-111 at Ball Arena in Denver.
The Pistons were short-handed as Kelly Olynyk, just recently back from an extended absence, landed in health and safety protocols. That meant Detroit was limited to defending former MVP Nikola Jokic, who might also be the frontrunner to win this season, with Isaiah Stewart and Trey Lyles. Oh, yeah, and Jokic was coming off four consecutive triple-doubles.