TORONTO — Chris Bosh had 25 points
and 16 rebounds, Jarrett Jack scored 17 points and the Toronto Raptors
extended their winning streak to a season-high four games, beating the
Detroit Pistons 102-95 on Sunday.
Even with Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun
Prince and Ben Gordon all back in the lineup, the Pistons couldn't stop
their losing streak from reaching seven games. Detroit has not topped
100 points in any of those defeats.
Hamilton and Gordon each scored 15
and Jonas Jerebko and Rodney Stuckey both had 14 for the Pistons. Ben
Wallace had 10 points and nine rebounds.
The Raptors, who hammered the Pistons
94-64 in Detroit on Wednesday, came out firing again in this one,
leading 60-41 at the half, but had to hold on in the fourth after the
Pistons staged a furious comeback.
Andrea Bargnani scored 16 points and
Hedo Turkoglu added 14 for the Raptors, who improved to 12-0 when
holding opponents below 100 points.
It's the first time that Toronto has
won three games over the Pistons in a season in the team's 15-year
history. The Raptors beat the Pistons 110-99 in Toronto on Nov. 4.
Detroit trailed 74-69 after three,
but Prince got the Pistons to within 85-84 on a turnaround jumper with
5:47 left in the fourth. Detroit got the ball back after an offensive
foul by Bosh, but Stuckey and Jerebko both missed jumpers.
At the other end, Bargnani converted
a three-point play, with Jerebko fouling out. Gordon missed a jumper
and Bargnani scored again, making it 90-84 with 4:00 remaining.
Two free throws from Gordon made it
95-91 with 33 seconds left but Jack went 4 for 4 at the line in the
closing seconds to seal the win.
Hamilton, who had missed 26 of the
previous 28 games with a sore right hamstring, and Prince, out since
Oct. 31 with a sore back, each started for just the fourth time of the
season. Gordon, out since Dec. 6 with a sore left ankle, came off the
bench for Detroit.
Toronto used an 11-2 run to lead
29-22 after one, with no Pistons player making more than one field goal
in the opening quarter and the team's first seven baskets each scored
by a different player.
Detroit continued to shoot poorly in
the second, finishing at 33 percent (14 for 43) in the first half while
Toronto shot 62 percent (21 for 34). Bosh scored 11 points in the
second and had 19 at the half as the Raptors led 60-41.
Toronto went cold in the third,
making just 4 of 14 field goals and going 4 for 9 at the line as
Detroit surged back, shooting 11 for 19 in the quarter. Jerebko scored
10 points in the third as the Pistons cut it to 74-69 heading into the
fourth.
Notes
Stuckey scored a layup in the
first that bounced in off the top of the backboard. … Hamilton
received a technical foul for arguing in the second and Gordon got one
for arguing in the third. … Toronto's Marco Belinelli fouled out for
the first time in his career. … Rapper Drake attended the game.