League Pass Matchup to Watch: Denver Nuggets vs. Detroit Pistons (7 PM ET)

Prepare yourself with five key points before the cross-conference showdown:

High-powered offenses collide:

Denver and Detroit have been two of the best teams in the league over the last month. In their last eight contests, the Nuggets are 7-1 and are first in assist ratio (

22.2

), effective field goal (

60.4

) and true shooting percentage (

62.8

), second in offensive rating (

125.9

), and fourth in net rating (

13.4

). During that same stretch, the Pistons are 8-0 and rank fourth in assist ratio (20.6) and effective field goal percentage (58.4), third in true shooting (61.3), fourth in offensive rating (122.3) and second in net rating (16.4). Detroit also owns the top-rated defense at

105.9

, which could prove to be the difference-maker in this one.

Jamal Murray lighting it up:

In his last four outings, Murray averaged 31.0 points, 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals with shooting splits of 55.7 FG%/60.0 3P%/85.7 FT% in 36.6 minutes. He erupted for a career-high 55 points on 20-for-36 shooting from the field and 7-for-15 from 3-point range in a win over Portland on Feb. 12, then followed it up with 34 points in a win over Charlotte on Feb. 20.

Cade Cunningham is lethal inside:

Detroit has been effective at scoring in the paint all season long, with their

51.7

points in the paint ranking sixth in the NBA. Cunningham, who pours in 25.7 points per game, scores

12.2

of those points in the paint, the 11th-most by any player and the second-most by a guard. In his last four appearances, the fourth-year guard is putting up 29.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 10.5 assists and 1.5 steals in 34.8 minutes. The Pistons have climbed to the No. 6 spot in the East after going 8-2 in their last ten games.

Jalen Duren holding down the paint:

Duren is becoming a force on the interior for Detroit in his third year. He’s averaging a double-double in just 25.8 minutes a night, going for 11.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and a career-high 1.1 blocks, and is doing so on incredible efficiency. He ranks fourth in field goal percentage (

69.7

) and true shooting percentage (

70.9

), and is a huge reason why the Pistons are fourth in defensive rebounding percentage (

72.7

) and overall rebounding percentage (

51.9

).

Ausar Thompson on the rise:

Thompson has been a big part of the Pistons improved play in 2024-25, and he’s in the middle of one of the most productive months of his young career. In 11 games in February, the 22-year-old is averaging 12.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.5 steals while shooting 65.2% from the field in only 24.5 minutes. He reached double figures in scoring in nine of those 11 contests, and has swiped 3-plus steals in six outings, including three straight. The second-year forward will try to help Detroit defeat Denver for the first time since November 2022.