Toronto Raptors (38-29) beat Detroit Pistons (48-19) 119-108 at home on Sunday, March 15.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Raptors struck first, taking the opening quarter 33-32 and a 1-point lead after one. The Pistons moved in front with a 32-26 second quarter, carrying a 5-point lead into halftime.
The Raptors won the third 34-17 to turn the game around, taking a 12-point lead into the fourth. The Pistons took the fourth 27-26; the Raptors held on for a 119-108 regulation win.
What decided it
The Raptors grabbed 43.5% of their own misses, while the Pistons recovered 31.7%. The Raptors made 25.3 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 18.8 for the Pistons. The second chances kept adding up.
At roughly 95 possessions per team, the Raptors produced 125.4 points per 100 possessions to 113.8 for the Pistons.
The Pistons' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 29-17.
Who made the difference
Jakob Poeltl was the game's biggest individual force for TOR: 21 pts, 18 reb, 5 ast on 9-12 shooting. His Game Score of 27.4 led everyone. His team was +2 with him on the floor.
Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 33 pts, 3 reb, 9 ast on 12-24 shooting, good for a 24.6 Game Score.
Scottie Barnes (14 pts, 10 reb, 8 ast), Jakob Poeltl (21 pts, 18 reb, 5 ast), and Jalen Duren (20 pts, 11 reb, 0 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 43% for the Raptors.
Across the last 5 meetings in our records, Detroit Pistons lead 5-0.
The Raptors are now 38-29, and the Pistons are 48-19. The Raptors last five before this game: L-W-L-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.