TORONTO – Malik Beasley contributed significantly in the final quarter, netting seven of his total 20 points, as the Detroit Pistons triumphed over the slumping Toronto Raptors with a final score of 99-95 on Friday night.
Cade Cunningham also had a strong performance, finishing the game with 15 points and 10 assists. Tobias Harris put up a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Jaden Ivey scored 14 points and Jalen Duren tallied 12. Rookie Ron Holland managed to score 10 points but struggled from beyond the arc, failing to make any of his six attempts at three-pointers.
Despite their inefficiency from long range, where they shot only 8 out of 38, Detroit secured the victory. The Raptors, meanwhile, did not fare much better, managing just 8 of 31 from three-point territory.
Jakob Poeltl had a standout game for Toronto, achieving a season-high of 25 points and matching his career-best with 19 rebounds, but the Raptors suffered their sixth consecutive loss. RJ Barrett added 22 points to the effort, and Gradey Dick, despite struggling with his shooting at 1 for 10 from the three-point line, finished with 16 points. With this defeat, Toronto has now lost 10 of their last 11 games.
In terms of key takeaways, the Pistons are off to a great start in the NBA Cup, boasting a 2-0 record after recently edging out Miami in an overtime match on Tuesday. Conversely, the Raptors fell to 0-8 this season when they find themselves trailing at halftime.
A pivotal moment in the match came in the final 21 seconds when Gradey Dick missed two crucial three-point attempts. The first attempt could have given Toronto a slight lead, while the second would have leveled the score.
An important statistic to note is that Cunningham struggled for the majority of the game, going 4 for 18 through the first three quarters, but rallied in the fourth quarter, making 2 of his 3 shots, with one of those being a crucial three-pointer. Overall, he finished the game shooting 2 for 9 from long range.
Looking ahead, Toronto will face Boston on Saturday, while the Pistons will take on Washington on Sunday.