Jakob Poeltl had 21 points (18 in the paint) and a season-high 18 rebounds, and the Toronto Raptors went on a 23-9 run that bridged the second and third quarters to beat the Detroit Pistons 119-108.
The Pistons led 63-57 with 27 seconds left in the second quarter. RJ Barrett’s driving layup put the Raptors ahead for good with 7:44 left in the third quarter. Poeltl scored 9 points and Barrett added 6 during the run. The Raptors led 80-72 with 6:07 left in the quarter and by as many as 14.
During clutch time, the Raptors outscored the Pistons 7-0. Brandon Ingram scored 5 of the Raptors’ 7 on 2 for 2 shooting.
Ingram scored 34 points, and Barrett added 27 points on 11 for 17 shooting. The Raptors had 3 20-point scorers. Poeltl and Scottie Barnes set each other up for 5 baskets and 10 points, 3 of them in the fourth quarter.
For the Pistons, Cade Cunningham had 33 points and 9 assists, and Tobias Harris added 21 points on 9 for 12 shooting. Jalen Duren had 20 points (16 in the paint) and 11 rebounds on 8 for 11 shooting. The Pistons had 3 20-point scorers.
The Pistons gave up 20 offensive rebounds, about 8 more than usual for the shots the Raptors missed. The Raptors’ starters outscored the Pistons 55-30 in 16 minutes together.