Toronto Raptors vs Detroit Pistons: Lineups, preview & prediction 3/7/18


The Raptors (46-17) have won five straight and 14 of 16 overall after pulling away for a 106-90 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night to complete a season sweep of the series. DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points, but it was Toronto's bench that stepped to the forefront in this game as they held Atlanta to 13 fourth-quarter points and turned the game with a 17-6 burst over the first 6:01 of the final period.

Toronto have opened a two-game lead over Boston for both the Atlantic Division and the top spot in the Eastern Conference and now look for their third win over Detroit in as many games this season and fifth straight over the Pistons overall. The Raptors have won 14 of the last 19 games between the teams, including six of the last eight in Detroit.

That does not bode well for a Pistons team struggling to stay in the playoff race. Detroit (29-35) capped a winless three-game road swing by being overrun 112-90 at Cleveland on Monday night for their ninth loss in 11 games overall. 

Blake Griffin had 25 points and eight rebounds while Andre Drummond chipped in 15 points and nine boards, but the Pistons struggled to contain LeBron James and were outclassed on the boards by a 53-40 count as they fell five games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

For more articles like this, take a look at our News page.