Denver, CO (SportsNetwork.com) - Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried was able to carry the momentum from his starring role on Team USA this summer into the NBA regular season. Faried had 22 points, 17 rebounds and four assists in Denvers season-opening 89-79 win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. Fresh off helping the United States win gold and earning All-Tournament honors at the FIBA World Cup, Faried was at his best for the playoff-hopeful Nuggets. Denver missed the postseason a year ago, finishing with 21 fewer wins than the 2012-13 season while dealing with a number of injuries. Finally healthy, these Nuggets hope to contend in a crowded Western Conference. Arron Afflalo chipped in 15 points and Timofey Mozgov tallied 13 and 11 rebounds. All 12 Nuggets that took the floor scored at least two points. Josh Smith netted a game-high 25 points to lead Detroit, which was without forward Greg Monroe, who is serving a suspension for a DUI arrest last February and is out for the first two games of this season. Denver led by two through three quarters and put the game away early in the fourth despite shooting just 5-for-22 in the period. One of those buckets was an 18-foot jumper by Faried, who hit it 12 seconds after checking in to extend the lead to six at the 5:48 mark. Detroit scored the next four points on layups from Andre Drummond and A.J. Augustin to get within two. Out of a timeout, Faried hit a pair of free throws amd Mozgov made one of two from the stripe before his tip-slam made it 84-77. The Nuggets made just 5-of-8 from the foul line after that, but got enough stops to hold off the visiting Pistons. Neither team led by more than six points during a balanced first half that featured 10 ties and 10 lead changes. Denver led by three after Nate Robinsons three-point play at 7:35 of the second, but the Pistons countered with nine in a row. Jonas Jerebko knotted the score with a triple and Kyle Singler capped the run with a 3-ball less than a minute later. The Nuggets responted from there, with Ty Lawsons step-back jumper near the end of the half sending Denver into the locker room leading 42-40. Afflalo came alive in the third, dropping 10 points on 4-of-6 to help Denver hold onto its lead. The teams played to a draw in the period, and the spread was 65-63 heading into the fourth. Game Notes The Nuggets have won six straight games in the series ... Denver outrebounded the Pistons, 51-45 ... Pistons guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, starting for the injured Jodie Meeks, shot 3-of-19 from the floor. Fake China Jerseys . Torres tells Spanish daily AS "in football you never know where you will be inside one month. Im going to work hard, thats all you can do with this last part of the season so important. China Jerseys Cheap . Millsap will miss Wednesday nights game against the Chicago Bulls. The Hawks say Millsap also will be held out on Thursday at Boston. https://www.chinajerseyscheap.us/. -- Detroit shortstop Jose Iglesias says he has stress fractures in both legs and isnt sure when hell be able to play again, leaving the Tigers two weeks to fill his spot for opening day and perhaps a lot longer. Cheap Jerseys From China . And all things considered, the first 40 games have offered a little bit of everything from a hockey club that faced many questions in its first year under new management, with a new head coach and with a number of new faces in the lineup. However, with a recent dip in scoring, it seems some of the same old questions persist and several new ones have been raised after a somewhat troubling homestand. China Jerseys Stitched . Barnard, 28, was 1-0 with a 0.53 ERA in three appearances, including two starts, with San Angel o this season. He struck out 19 batters and walked just one in 17 innings pitched. He has previous American Association experience with the Lincoln Saltdogs, El Paso Diablos and Amarillo Sox.JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Jacksonville Jaguars have placed starting right tackle Austin Pasztor on injured reserve, ending his season.Pasztor ruptured a hamstring in Sundays 25-24 victory against the New York Giants. Undrafted rookie Josh Wells replaced him, but the Jaguars (2-10) havent decided whether Wells or veteran Sam Young will start against the Houston Texans (6-6) on Sunday.Pasztor will end up missing half the season.dddddddddddd He sat out the first four games while recovering from a broken right hand and will spend the last four on IR.The Jaguars signed linebacker A.J. Edds to take Pasztors spot on the 53-man roster. A fourth-round draft pick by Miami in 2010, Edds also has spent time with New England, Indianapolis and the New York Jets.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '