The Toronto Raptors took it to the Detroit Pistons on their home court, winning 123-94 thanks to a dominant second half.
The Detroit Pistons (28-32) survived a second quarter onslaught spearheaded by the bench of the Toronto Raptors (42-17). The Pistons closed the fist half on a 12-6 run to make it only a six-point game at the break, but it was all downhill from there.
The Raptors stormed out of the half on a 22-6 surge, including a 14-0 run, to turn this into a blowout in a matter of minutes. They kept pouring it on in the fourth, ultimately outscoring Detroit by 23 points in the second half to win 123-94. The 123 points is the most Detroit’s given up this season.
The Pistons, losers of all three of their games post-All-Star break by double digits, were playing on the road on the second leg of a back-to-back set against the Eastern Conference’s leading team, so they didn’t stand much of a chance tonight in the first place. It didn’t help that Toronto shot 17-37 from three-point range (45.9%).
Detroit drops to 28-32 on the season, having lost six of their last seven games, their playoff chances smaller than ever with 22 games remaining.
Toronto moves to 42-17 overall, 25-5 at home, and 2-0 against Detroit on the season. They’ve won eight of their last nine games and are atop the Eastern Conference standings to show for it. The Raptors will be in Detroit on March 7 for game three in the season series.
The Pistons are back in action on Wednesday when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks at home.