DENVER _ The Pistons hung around for a while.
In the first few minutes, they were within single digits with the Denver Nuggets, who have the second-best record in the Western Conference. After beating the Nuggets in overtime on Feb. 2 at Little Caesars Arena, staying close wasn't farfetched.
That was a different Pistons roster; this version doesn't have the same offensive firepower.
The Nuggets rode a 15-5 run to pull away and take a 115-98 victory on Tuesday night at Pepsi Center. It's the seventh straight loss for the Pistons (19-41), who next play at Phoenix on Friday.
Christian Wood had 20 points and nine rebounds, Derrick Rose 20 points and five assists, and Brandon Knight 14 points.
The Nuggets (40-18) had a 10-point lead after the third quarter and the Pistons closed to 84-75 on a 3-pointer by Sekou Doumbouya but the Nuggets surged with nine straight points, all by Jerami Grant, who had a career-high 29 points, and Michael Porter Jr. (13 points and eight rebounds). Gant had back-to-back dunks and Porter hit a 3-pointer and a jumper.
Wood converted a floater to end the run, but the lead later ballooned to 19 after a jumper by Grant and a lay-in by Porter. The lead never got below double digits the rest of the way.
Rose had seven of his points in the third quarter, including five during a 9-0 run that got the Pistons within 65-59 at the 5:47 mark. The Nuggets answered with a tip-in by Paul Millsap and a 3-pointer by Gary Harris. Grant got going with a dunk and a 3-pointer, but Knight had a pair of 3-pointers and another by Langston Galloway (12 points) helped get within 82-72 entering the final period.
