The key statistic that tipped this game in favor of the Nuggets was the rebounding margin, 52-35. Looking closer, the 21 offensive rebounds by Denver absolutely killed the Pistons’ efforts to limit the offensive chances for a team that likes to score quickly and often. With 30 attempts from beyond the three-point line, long rebounds were a problem for Detroit, and one that they couldn’t recover from. Nearly every time they made a run to get close or tie, the Nuggets hit shots from three-point range to negate the two-point shot the Pistons made.

Another killer stat for the Pistons is the continued shooting slumps of Brandon Knight and Rodney Stuckey. Stuckey actually scored more against Denver (17) than he had scored in the first three games combined (10), but it took him 17 shots to do so. Knight was just 1-of-6 from the field and had four turnovers, but he did find his teammates somewhat effectively with nine assists.

The final harbinger of defeat for Detroit was the points in the paint totals. Once again, the Pistons’ interior defense failed them, this time giving up 56 points to Denver players. They are ranked near the bottom of the league in that category; more playing time for Andre Drummond might help that, considering his shot-blocking ability, but he played just 12 minutes last night.

Detroit will travel back to California to take on the Sacramento Kings tonight. They have won five straight over the Kings, including four straight in Sacramento. The key matchup for this game will surely be Greg Monroe and DeMarcus Cousins, two big men forever linked through their draft positions in 2010.

Denver is coming off their best offensive game of the young season, a 119-116 defeat at the hands of the Miami Heat. In that contest, every Nugget besides center Kosta Koufos (two points) scored at least 10 points, with major offseason acquisition Andre Iguodala leading the way with 22 points, five rebounds and three assists. The team as a whole shot 51.6%, as well, but just 5-of-21 from three-point range.

The Pistons, however, are coming off a loss in which they gave up 34 points in the first quarter, 108 points total and 51.9% shooting to the Lakers. Los Angeles center Dwight Howard had no trouble going off for 28 points, missing just two shots all night and dominating the paint. Greg Monroe was the lone Pistons starter to make a substantial contribution with eight points, seven rebounds, four steals and one block. Outside of the rest of the Detroit starting five, Jonas Jerebko led the team with 18 points in 29 minutes.

Here are the Pistons’ keys to winning their first game tonight:

• Limit fast break opportunities - Ty Lawson, Iguodala, Kenneth Faried and JaVale McGee are best suited to running up and down the court on fast breaks, utilizing their speed and athleticism to run opposing teams out of the arena. To slow them down, Detroit will need to be deliberate on offense, making precision passes and controlling the ball.
• Strong post presence - Greg Monroe will need to figure out his low post offense and get early position against whoever is defending him. He’s settled for jumpers too much thus far, so getting his offense going will help the Pistons pick up their first win of the season.

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