The Toronto Raptors will conclude their three-game road trip when they take on the Detroit Pistons.
The Raptors are coming off road losses against the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks. Overall, the Raptors have lost 4 games in a row and 15-of-16. They did put up a fight against Cleveland but it simply wasn’t enough down the stretch.
Now, Toronto turns its attention to a rising Pistons team. Detroit has won 8 of their last 10 games and are suddenly a competitive team in the Eastern Conference. Cade Cunningham has been playing like an All-Star with averages of 24.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 9.3 assists which is third in the NBA. The pieces in Detroit are starting to click and the Pistons are .500 this late into a season for the first time since 2018-19. The Pistons have also had their way with the Raptors as of late beating them four straight times dating back to last season.
For the Raptors they will look to build off their strong performance against Cleveland. Their offense was clicking as Scottie Barnes led the charge finishing with a near-triple double of 24 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists. He also made history, tying Chris Bosh for the second-fewest games (235) needed to hit 4,000 total points. Chris Boucher also had a superb game as the 32-year-old (happy birthday to him) had 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting and 12 rebounds from off the bench.
The Raptors offense has been looking a lot better lately. They have the 10th best offensive rating in the NBA (115.1) over their last 5 games. Their defense however, continues to be a work in progress.
The last time these two teams met Jaden Ivey hit a game-winner. Unfortunately, Ivey is now out for the season with a broken fibula. Tim Hardaway Jr. (low back spasms) is questionable. For the Raptors, Ochai Agbaji (left hip pointer) is questionable to play tonight.
This should be another exciting battle between both teams.
Toronto Raptors (8-30) vs. Detroit Pistons (19-19)
7:00 p.m. EST, Saturday, January 11, 2025
Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
TV: TSN
Projected Raptors Starting Lineup:
PG: Immanuel Quickley
SG: Gradey Dick
SF: RJ Barrett
PF: Scottie Barnes
C: Jakob Poeltl
Key Reserves: Chris Boucher, Ja’Kobe Walter, Bruce Brown
Projected Pistons Starting Lineup:
PG: Cade Cunningham
SG: Malik Beasley
SF: Ausar Thompson
PF: Tobias Harris
C: Jalen Duren
Key Reserves: Ron Holland, Simone Fontecchio, Isaiah Stewart
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