Lowry scores 27, leads 20-point comeback in return from wrist surgery

Rust? What rust?

Kyle Lowry made his debut following wrist surgery by leading the Toronto Raptors on a 20-point comeback against the Detroit Pistons. The 31-year-old logged 42 minutes, scored 27 points, and dished out 10 assists after sitting out the last five weeks.

The three-time All-Star was understandably fired up in his postgame interview.

"If I'm going to play, there ain't no minute restrictions on me," Lowry said. "I got a couple of games to get right and I just go out there. If I'm going to play, there ain't no easing into it. It's going out here and playing balls to the wall."

There was some modest concern that an out-of-rhythm Lowry would disrupt the flow of the surging Raptors. Those fears came to life early on, as the Pistons jumped out to a 20-point edge, but Lowry's steady playmaking eventually helped the Raptors come out on top in the long run.

"No (it wasn't hard to play with new teammates). Like I always said, guys will adjust to me and we're a good team," Lowry said. "For me, just having fun out here, helping the guys, helping our team win as many games as possible - that's the most important thing."

Toronto's win, coupled with Boston's loss, keeps the Raptors outside of Cleveland's side of the playoff bracket. But jockeying in the standings is mostly meaningless if Lowry isn't fully functional headed into the postseason.

The early results are overwhelmingly positive.