Nuggets 109, Pistons 97
DENVER -- Andre Iguodala had a double-double in his first home game in a Denver uniform and the Nuggets pulled away late to beat the Detroit Pistons 109-97 on Tuesday night at Pepsi Center.
Iguodala got hot in the fourth quarter to finish with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Ty Lawson had 15 points and nine assists and JaVale McGee scored 16 points off the bench for the Nuggets, who had six players in double figures.
Greg Monroe had 27 points and eight rebounds and Rodney Stuckey had 17 points for the Pistons.
Denver, which avoided its first 0-4 start since the lockout-shortened season of 1998-99, found its shooting touch against Detroit. The Nuggets hit just 42.7 percent of their shots in the first three games but hit 55.8 percent in the first half.
They cooled off in the second half but they beat Detroit with strong inside play. The Nuggets had a 52-35 rebounding edge and outscored the Pistons 56-44 in the paint.
The Nuggets led 70-69 when they pulled away from the winless Pistons. Iguodala hit a 3-pointer to kick start a 14-5 run that put them up nine late in the third quarter. McGee had four points in the run, including a drive from near midcourt that he finished with a slam dunk to give Denver an 83-74 lead.
The Nuggets put it away in the fourth. Consecutive 3-pointers from Iguodala and Corey Brewer followed by an alley-oop dunk by McGee made it 98-82 with 7:42 left.
The Pistons made one last push with a 10-1 run over the next five minutes to make it close, but Iguodala's two free throws and a fast-break dunk pushed the lead to 103-92 with 2:27 left.
Kenneth Faried had 12 points and Kosta Koufos scored eight, and they helped the Nuggets control the paint while taking a 58-51 halftime lead.
Stuckey led the Pistons with 14 points in the first half, but he hit just 4 of 11 shots from the field. Detroit rookie Andre Drummond had seven points off the bench.
Denver, which struggled with its shooting while dropping its first three games, shot 55.8 percent in the first half.
The Nuggets started strong, going up 15-5 midway through the first quarter on a dunk by Faried. Detroit climbed back to tie it at 21 on two free throws by Stuckey before Corey Brewer hit a 3-pointer to give the Nuggets a lead at the end of the quarter.
Rookie Kim English hit two 3-pointers to put Detroit ahead 39-36 before the Nuggets took control just before halftime.
After leading 48-47, Denver finished the half on a 10-4 run. Lawson hit a jumper and fed Faried for a bucket, and Faried finished the half with a put-back.
NOTES: Pistons forward Corey Maggette (left calf strain) was inactive for the fourth straight game. He has yet to play this season. ... Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler was in the lineup after missing the second game of a back-to-back set. Chandler, who is working his way back from a hip operation, also will sit out Wednesday at Houston. ... Iguodala fired up the crowd with a pregame pep talk prior the home opener.
