Games like these are generally called trap contests. Bad opponent. Home game. Big games coming in the near future.
It’s a recipe for a letdown loss. And in the NBA, those prophecies are fulfilled more often than they probably should be.
It was under these circumstances that the Nuggets took the court Saturday night — and, on cue, had to fight for the most part for their 131-101 victory over the Pistons at the Pepsi Center, though the score didn’t show it.
There was a four-game road trip in the Nuggets’ immediate future. They had won six of eight games entering the contest. And the Pistons, who have been in steady decline since winning the title in 2004-05, sported a scuff-marked record of 23-43.
So, yes, the Nuggets played like a team with bigger things on the agenda.
“It wasn’t a great defensive game,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “We’re scoring a lot of points off of their mistakes. As long as we do that we’ll score enough points offensively. We’ve just got to continue to get better defensively.”
The Pistons hung around for the better part of three quarters before the Nuggets were able to put them away, using a 21-2 run at the end of quarter to put it out of reach.
The Nuggets are 7-2 post-Carmelo Anthony, including 6-2 when the new Nuggets have been playing. Overall, the Nuggets improved to 39-27, the first time this season the team has been 12 games over .500.
And yet the climb out of fifth place to higher heights in the Western Conference remains an uphill battle. The Nuggets are three games behind Oklahoma City for the Northwest Division lead and fourth place in the conference.
But they are slowly making the end of the season a roller coaster-esque thrill ride.
“At this point every game is important,” forward Chris Andersen said, “and we have some good, tough games ahead of us. But the way we’re playing and the style we’re playing and the pace we’re going with, it’s going to be tough for us to get beat. Just put it out there like that.”
Nine Nuggets played double-figure minutes against the Pistons. Eight of those players scored in double figures. Kenyon Martin needed but one more point to make it a smooth 10-for-10. Nene continued his torrid post-trade pace with his 12th double-double of the season (18 points, 11 rebounds) and J.R. Smith simply finished the Pistons off with 21 points in the fourth quarter, all on seven 3-pointers. He finished with 31 points and nine treys.
The sellout crowd gave the Nuggets a standing ovation at the buzzer.
In the Nuggets’ locker room afterward, loud music played for the first time in a long time. The atmosphere was jovial and boisterous. These Nuggets are dancing over opponents and in the locker room — but a big test looms. Games against New Orleans, Atlanta, Miami and Orlando comprise the upcoming trip, which will be the biggest test of just how good this team is and can be.
“Everybody is excited for this road trip,” said Ty Lawson, who finished with 15 points and 11 assists. “We want to see what happens.”
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
Factoring in Melo
The Nuggets are 7-2 and the Knicks 6-4 since their blockbuster trade Feb. 21:
BEFORE TRADE
Rec. GB Div. Conf.
Denver 32-25 4 1/2 7th
New York 28-26 12 6th
TODAY
Denver 39-27 3 5th
New York 34-30 12 1/2 6th
