Brandon Ingram scored 34 points and the Toronto Raptors defeated the visiting Detroit Pistons 119-108 on Sunday afternoon.
RJ Barrett added 27 points and Jakob Poeltl had 21 points and a season-best 18 rebounds for the Raptors, who have won two in a row. Scottie Barnes tallied 14 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and three blocked shots.
The teams split two games this season. The Pistons had won the previous seven games between the teams before Sunday.
Cade Cunningham had 33 points and nine assists for the Pistons, who had won their three previous games. Tobias Harris contributed 21 points while Jalen Duren added 20 points and 11 rebounds.
The Raptors’ 23-for-30 showing at the foul line made a difference, as the Pistons went just 16 for 24 on free throws.
The Raptors played solid defense and held a 12-point lead following a 34-17 third quarter. Barnes’ three-point play increased the lead to 14 with 10:20 to play in the fourth.
Duren’s layup cut the gap to 10 with 8:10 remaining, and Detroit whittled the lead to seven when Cunningham drained a fadeaway jumper with 4:49 remaining. Cunningham came back with an emphatic dunk to cut the margin to five with 4:01 to go.
Ingram answered with a 3-pointer. After Harris made a 3 of his own, Ingram hit a 2-foot jumper for a seven-point Toronto lead. The Raptors couldn’t get closer than five from then on.
Toronto led 33-32 after the first quarter and the game remained close during the second. Detroit opened a six-point lead on Harris’ 3-pointer with 1:21 to play in the first half. The Pistons led 64-59 at halftime. There were 16 lead changes and six ties in the first half.
Toronto continued to take advantage of second-chance points in the third quarter. The Raptors took an eight-point lead on Barnes’ rebound and layup with 6:07 to play in the third. Ingram nailed a 3-pointer to bump the lead to 12 with 2:30 remaining. The margin reached 14 before Toronto settled for a 93-81 lead after the third quarter.
