The Toronto Raptors have now won three consecutive games and 14 of their last 15 after an impressive 103-89 victory over the Detroit Pistons Monday night at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
Toronto Guard Play
The Raptors were led in this one by All-Star point guard, Kyle Lowry, who dropped 25 points; 18 of which came in the second half. Lowry was attacking the paint and catalyzed many easy buckets and kick-out threes on the wing. He shot nine-of-14 from the field and also dished out seven assists, helping his team get the victory.
Lowry's All-Star backcourt partner DeMar DeRozan struggled with his shot in this one, going just five-for-14 from the field. DeRozan, however, found other ways to help his team, grabbing seven rebounds, recording six assists, and getting to the free-throw line eight times. DeRozan connected on seven of his attempts from the line as he finished with 17 points.
Pistons Receive Strong Contributions From Frontcourt
The Pistons received solid production out of forwards Ersan Ilyasova and Marcus Morris, who dropped 17 and 14, respectively. Morris grabbed five boards as well and shot the ball efficiently, going five-for-seven from the field and 2-for-4 from three-point range. Ilyasova grabbed five boards of his own and also added a couple of three balls on a seven-for-12 shooting night.
Pistons first-time All-Star Andre Drummond was a beast on the glass as usual, grabbing 13 boards for Detroit. Drummond's free throw struggles continued, however, as the 6'11" center went three-for-eight from the free throw line.
Drummond may have had a really tough time knocking down shots from the line, yet he had no problem hitting one from three-quarter court. The big-man chucked up a prayer at the end of the third quarter from the Pistons bench, and it dropped into the hoop, cutting the Raptors' lead to just five heading into the fourth. Drummond finished with 12 points.
Raptors Bench Has Edge
Toronto's bench has been a crucial component of their recent success and on Monday night, it was no different. The Raptors' bench outscored Detroit's, 42-28, on Monday. Guards Terrence Ross and Cory Joseph gave the Raptors a tremendous scoring punch and also made an impact on the defensive end. Ross poured in 18 points, going 4-for-6 from downtown. He also grabbed four rebounds while Joseph added 15 points, three assists, and four boards on 7-of-9 shooting.
The Pistons bench was led by Darrun Hilliard, who scored 13 points. Aron Baynes followed with 10 of his own to go with six rebounds. The two players went a combined 10-for-19 from the field.
Toronto Uses Strong Second, Fourth Quarters To Seal Victory
Due to early shooting struggles, the Raptors found themselves down 24-19 after one quarter but regrouped in the second, outscoring Detroit by 11. The Raptors hit on their first five three-point attempts in the second quarter and led 49-43 at the half.
An evenly-matched second quarter that concluded with a ridiculous, well-beyond half-court shot from Drummond saw the Raptors up by five heading into the final frame.
Toronto was seemingly scoring at will in the fourth. They began the quarter on an 11-2 run and quickly got the lead up beyond 20 points. Detroit would close the gap slightly in the latter minutes of the game, as the contest would conclude with a final score of 103-89 after garbage time.
Up Next
The Pistons will conclude their brief, two-game homestand Wednesday, when they host the Denver Nuggets at 7:30 PM EST; it will be their final game before the All-Star break. Toronto's last matchup before the break will take place in Minnesota, where they will take on Andrew Wiggins and the Timberwolves Wednesday at 8:00 PM EST.