Shorthanded Nuggets Fall Just Short in Loss to Pistons

The Denver Nuggets are certainly not the same team when Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, and Cam Johnson are on the sideline, but they still managed to keep it competitive with the Eastern Conference's top team.

In Tuesday night's matchup against the Detroit Pistons, the Nuggets fell just short, losing 109-107 in a wild finish. The Nuggets trailed by as many as 12 points in the fourth quarter, but after storming back, Denver had a chance to tie with just seconds left.

Referees nearly save the Nuggets

Down by three with just a few seconds left in the game, the Nuggets gave the ball to Jamal Murray to let him try to force overtime. While Murray's three-point attempt with 3.5 seconds left was way off, the referees called a foul on Javonte Green to send the Nuggets star to the free-throw line for three shots.

However, Murray missed one, as the Nuggets still trailed by one point despite a valiant effort by Murray to draw the foul. What happened next? The same thing.

After Tobias Harris knocked down both free throws for the Pistons, Murray got fouled by Green again on his second three-point attempt to tie the game. Unfortunately for Murray and the Nuggets, he missed another vital free throw. The Nuggets ultimately lost by two, but the referees did all they could to keep Denver alive with just seconds remaining, and Murray simply could not capitalize.

Jamal Murray missed 2 CLUTCH FTs 😭 pic.twitter.com/nvkA8xRs4t
— Logion Noops (@LogionNoops) January 28, 2026

Murray finished the game with 24 points and ten assists on 7-18 shooting from the field, 0-6 from three-point range, and 10-15 from the free-throw line. This was far from Murray's best performance, but even on an off-night from the star guard, the Nuggets nearly managed to pull out a huge win.

Nuggets get some unexpected help

Murray was not the only Nuggets stud who struggled on Tuesday night, as Peyton Watson finished with 13 points on 6-20 shooting from the field and 1-6 from deep. Luckily, the Nuggets had some other players step up to keep the team competitive.

Jonas Valanciunas, who is filling in for the injured Jokic, finished with a monster 16-point, 16-rebound performance. With Jokic out, the Nuggets desperately need a consistent big man like Valanciunas to hold things down, and that is exactly what he did on Tuesday.

The Nuggets also got some help from their bench duo of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown, who combined for 30 points. Hardaway Jr. was especially impressive in the fourth quarter, dropping nine points on 3-4 shooting from deep in the final period to help pull the Nuggets back into the game.

Of course, Tuesday's game resulted in a loss, but it was a valiant effort from the shorthanded Nuggets against a legitimate title contender.

Referees nearly save the Nuggets

Nuggets get some unexpected help

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