3rd Quarter Report
Down one at the end of the second quarter, the Pistons now have the lead. They have jumped out to a 99-93 lead against the Raptors.
If the Pistons keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 20-19 in no time. On the other hand, the Raptors will have to make due with an 8-31 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Toronto Raptors @ Detroit Pistons
Current Records: Toronto 8-30, Detroit 19-19
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, January 11, 2025 at 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Little Caesars Arena — Detroit, Michigan
- TV: The Sports Network
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $17.00
What to Know
The Raptors and the Pistons are an even 5-5 against one another since March of 2022, but not for long. The Toronto Raptors will be staying on the road on Saturday to face off against the Detroit Pistons at 7:00 p.m. ET at Little Caesars Arena. The Raptors are expected to lose this one by 4.5 points, so we’ll see if that gives them a bit of motivation.
The Raptors are likely headed into the contest with a focus on the second half, which is when things went downhill against the Cavaliers on Thursday. The Raptors took a 132-126 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Cavaliers. The loss hurts even more since Toronto was up 93-81 with 4:41 left in the third.
The loss doesn’t tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Chris Boucher, who shot 5-for-8 from beyond the arc and dropped a double-double on 23 points and 12 rebounds. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in threes (five). Jakob Poeltl was another key player, going 8 for 10 en route to 17 points plus seven rebounds and six assists.
Even though they lost, the Raptors were working as a unit and finished the game with 34 assists. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they’ve now posted at least 25 assists in five consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, after a string of five wins, the Pistons’ good fortune finally ran out on Thursday. They fell just short of the Warriors by a score of 107-104. The close match was extra heartbreaking for Detroit, who almost overcame an 18 point deficit.
Cade Cunningham put forth a good effort for the losing side as he went 12 for 21 en route to 32 points plus eight assists and six rebounds. He is becoming a predictor of the Pistons’ success: when he posts at least 20 points the team is 8-3 (and 11-16 when he doesn’t).
Toronto has traveled a rocky road recently having lost 15 of their last 16 games, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-30 record this season. As for Detroit, their defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 19-19.
The Raptors couldn’t quite finish off the Pistons in their previous meeting back in November of 2024 and fell 102-100. Can the Raptors avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We’ll find out soon enough.
Odds
Detroit is a 4.5-point favorite against Toronto, according to the latest NBA odds.
Bettors have moved against the Pistons slightly, as the game opened with the Pistons as a 6-point favorite.
The over/under is 229.5 points.
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Series History
Detroit and Toronto both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.
- Nov 25, 2024 – Detroit 102 vs. Toronto 100
- Nov 15, 2024 – Detroit 99 vs. Toronto 95
- Mar 13, 2024 – Detroit 113 vs. Toronto 104
- Dec 30, 2023 – Detroit 129 vs. Toronto 127
- Nov 19, 2023 – Toronto 142 vs. Detroit 113
- Mar 24, 2023 – Toronto 118 vs. Detroit 97
- Feb 25, 2023 – Toronto 95 vs. Detroit 91
- Feb 12, 2023 – Toronto 119 vs. Detroit 118
- Nov 14, 2022 – Toronto 115 vs. Detroit 111
- Mar 03, 2022 – Detroit 108 vs. Toronto 106
