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. Greg Colbrunn Jersey . 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Louis Cardinals for the National League Wild Card, are in the drivers seat as they open the final series of the regular season, but they face a large task in the form of the Philadelphia Phillies.TSN.ca presents its latest weekly power rankings for the 2013-14 Barclays Premier League season. Rankings were weighted evenly between separate lists made by TSN Radio host and soccer analyst Gareth Wheeler as well as TSN.cas soccer editors. 1. Manchester City (Last Week-2) Edin Dzeko and Yaya Toure put Manchester City back in control of the Premier League title race with a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace. If City wins out and keeps their goal differential advantage they will be crowned champions. 2. Liverpool (LW-1) The league leaders surrendered their advantage in the title race by falling 2-0 to Chelsea at Anfield. They still top the table with a two point advantage over Chelsea and three over Manchester City who have a game in hand. 3. Chelsea (LW-3) Another wrench was thrown into the title race as Demba Ba and Willian led Chelsea to a 2-0 victory over Liverpool. The win kept Chelsea alive in the battle for the top of the table but they will still need help to lift the trophy. 4. Arsenal (LW-4) Laurent Koscielny, Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud all found the net for Arsenal as they cruised to a 3-0 victory over Newcastle. The victory helps the Gunners get another step closer to next seasons Champions League competition. 5. Everton (LW-5) Antolin Alcaraz and Seamus Coleman scored into the wrong net as Everton watched Southampton cruise to a 2-0 victory. The loss puts Evertons chances at qualifying for Champions League in serious doubt. 6. Tottenham (LW-6) Danny Rose scored in the 33rd minute to lead Tottenham to a 1-0 victory over Stoke City as they continue to hold on to the final place in Europa League. 7. Manchester United (LW-7) Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata both hit doubles as the Ryan Giggs era at Manchester United got off to a winning start with a 4-0 victory over Norwich City. 8. Southampton (LW-8) Southampton will have a top half of the season finish after they essentially stole three points from Everton. Both goals were crredit as own goals.dddddddddddd 9. Stoke City (LW-9) Stoke dropped their third home game of the season as they fell 1-0 to Tottenham. 10. Crystal Palace (LW-10) A strong effort was not able to produce a result for Crystal Palace as they fell 2-0 to Manchester City. 11. Swansea City (LW-12) Wilfried Bony fired home twice while Jonjo Shelvey and Pablo also scored for Swansea as they cruised to a 4-1 victory over Aston Villa 12. Hull City (LW-13) Shane Long completed the comeback that a goal from Nikica Jelavic started as Hull rescued a point in a 2-2 draw with Fulham. 13. Newcastle United (LW-11) Six straight losses for Newcastle as they were defeated 3-0 by Arsenal. The loss heaps further pressure on manager Alan Pardew. 14. West Bromwich Albion (LW-16) Saido Berahino scored the only goal of the game in the 11th minute to lead West Bromwich Albion to a 1-0 victory over West Ham United. 15. West Ham United (LW-14) West Ham was kept off the score sheet as they dropped their fourth straight game, 1-0 to West Bromwich Albion. 16. Sunderland (LW-17) A rampant victory by Sunderland, 4-0 over Cardiff City, has helped them escape the relegation zone. Connor Wickham opened the scoring and picked up a second to close the game off for the Black Cats. 17. Aston Villa (LW-15) Gabriel Agbonlahors 22nd marker was not nearly enough as Aston Villa fell 4-1 at the hands of Swansea City. 18. Fulham (LW-19) After scoring two goals in three minutes through Ashkan Dejagah and Fernando Amorebieta, Fulham conceded a pair and had to settle for a 2-2 draw. The Cottagers are very involved in the relagation fight. 19. Cardiff City (LW-18) A 4-0 loss to Sunderland has sent Cardiff City to the bottom of the table. The Welsh side will need at least two points and some goal differential help to stay in the Premier League. 20. Norwich City (LW-20) Norwich mustered only two shots on target as they were defeated 4-0 at Old Trafford by Manchester United. ' ' '