Chris Webber scored 20 points, Rasheed Wallace had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and the Detroit Pistons snapped a two-game losing streak with a 95-82 victory over the Nuggets on Friday night.
Denver native Chauncey Billups added 16 points and received a rousing ovation from the Pepsi Center crowd when introduced and throughout the game. Richard Hamilton had 14 points and former Nuggets forward Antonio McDyess grabbed 10 rebounds.
The Eastern Conference leaders avoided their second three-game losing streak of the season. Detroit also increased its lead over idle Cleveland to three games in the Central Division.
Allen Iverson led Denver with 19 points. Carmelo Anthony had 17 points and seven rebounds for the Nuggets, who have lost seven of their past 11 games. Reserve Linas Kleiza had 14 points, going 4-for-8 from 3-point range. The Nuggets are 0-21 when scoring fewer than 100 points, 0-10 at home.
Kleiza’s 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter got Denver within 74-65, but Carlos Delfino and Wallace answered with 3-pointers as the Pistons pushed their lead back to 80-65.
Detroit went cold, and the Nuggets capitalized with a 3-pointer by Iverson and two by Kleiza to cut the lead to 80-74 with 6:45 left. The Pistons scored the next six points, with Webber making a long jumper and blowing by Anthony for a dunk with 5:27 remaining to make it 86-74.
The Pistons’ lead was 90-76 after a layup and two free throws by Billups with 2:25 remaining. Steve Blake had five points for Denver in the final minute.
Webber and Wallace combined for nine of the first 14 points of the second half to open a 61-51 lead. Eduardo Najera’s layup with 6:04 left slowed Detroit down momentarily, but Billups began a 13-2 run with a dunk and two free throws to make it 72-55.
Wallace jawed with officials most of the second quarter as Detroit settled for a 47-all halftime tie. The Pistons were 7-for-18 in the period and managed only one field goal, a rebound basket by Webber, over the final 5:13 of the half. Three free throws by Iverson in the final minute had put Denver ahead 47-45 before Webber’s basket.
