Raptors Power Past Pistons For 11th Straight Win, 111-107
TORONTO (AP) — DeMar DeRozan had 29 points and the Toronto Raptors beat the Detroit Pistons 111-107 on Saturday night to push the team's franchise-best win streak to 11 consecutive games.
Kyle Lowry had 18 points and backup center Bismack Biyombo added 12 points and 13 assists. Cory Joseph also had 16 points off the bench.
Reserve guard Brandon Jennings led the way for Detroit with 22 points, with starter Kentavious Caldwell-Pope contributing 15. Andre Drummond had 11 points and 12 rebounds for his NBA-leading 39th double-double.
The Raptors led throughout and blew it open in the final quarter. A pair of free throws by Lowry following a flagrant foul by Stanley Johnson increased the Raptors' lead to 20 points with 6:19 remaining in the game. The Pistons pulled within four points with 5.9 seconds left but got no closer.
Toronto swept a seven-game homestand for the first time in team history.
Drummond was ejected from the game with his sixth personal foul with 6:37 remaining in the game. Drummond's recent struggles on free throws continued, with the NBA All-Star center going 1 for 9 from the line after going 2 of 8 in Friday night's loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Raptors took the lead on their first shot, from James Johnson, and seized control quickly in the first quarter, connecting on 50 percent of their shots from the field to race into a 26-17 lead.
After missing his first 3-point attempt coming off the bench in place of Reggie Jackson at the end of the first quarter, Jennings sparked the Pistons in the second, hitting his next three in a row from beyond the arc and registering 12 of Detroit's 30 points in the quarter. But the Raptors got nine points from Joseph to establish an eight-point edge heading into the second half, 55-47.
But with the Pistons pressing, Drummond got into foul trouble with four personal fouls in the first 6 minutes of the third quarter, and coach Stan van Gundy replaced him with Aron Baynes. Though Detroit quickly reduced the deficit to two points in Drummond's absence, the Raptors pulled away after that and benefited from 10 points from DeRozan to open up an 81-72 leading heading into the final 12 minutes.
TIP-INS
Pistons: With 12 rebounds on Saturday, Drummond has now grabbed five or more rebounds in 64 straight games, the second-longest active streak in the NBA after Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (115). ... After losing the rebounding battle 45-40, Detroit is 22-10 when outrebounding its opponent this season but 3-13 when its opponent is either tied or ahead in rebounding.
Raptors: DeRozan and Lowry were both presented with their white Eastern Conference NBA All-Star Game jerseys before the opening tip-off. All-Star Weekend takes place in Toronto from Feb. 12-14. ... After playing Detroit, Toronto has now played every team in the Eastern Conference and has a 23-8 record in intra-conference games. ... The only team the Raptors haven't beaten in the Eastern Conference this season is the Chicago Bulls. ... Toronto is shooting a combined .498 (291 for 584) from the field and .453 (68 for 150) from 3-point range in the team's first 24 minutes of games this month.
UP NEXT
Pistons: Visit Brooklyn on Monday night.
Raptors: Visit Denver on Monday night.
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