NBA Game Summary - Toronto at Detroit
Auburn Hills, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Reggie Jackson posted 28 points, nine assists and five rebounds and the Detroit Pistons took down the Toronto Raptors 108-104 on Tuesday.
Jackson is the third Pistons point guard to torch Toronto this season. Brandon Jennings averaged 28 points and nine assists in two games before getting hurt, and D.J. Augustin scored 35 with eight assists in a Raptors win in late January.
"Reggie was outstanding," said Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy. "As his assists have gone up, his turnovers have gone down."
Andre Drummond posted 21 points and 18 rebounds, continuing his stellar play inside while Greg Monroe (knee) is sidelined. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 26 points in the triumph.
DeMar DeRozan led five Raptors in double figures with 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Lou Williams gave 19 off the bench.
Toronto, which lost point guard Kyle Lowry to back spasms in the first half, could have clinched a playoff berth with a win.
"It twisted the wrong way and it gave out," said Lowry. "I'm going to take my time and make sure I'm completely healthy before I even step back on the floor."
The Pistons hung 37 points on Toronto in the first quarter, then scored on their first four trips of the second to take a 44-32 lead.
Detroit used 9-0 run later in the half to take a 60-48 advantage into halftime. Three-point shooting was the difference over the first 24 minutes, with the Pistons outscoring Toronto by 24 points in that department.
The deficit stayed in double figures until Williams' deep 3-pointer on the penultimate possession of the third quarter. Spencer Dinwiddie beat the buzzer with a jumper at the other end to put the Pistons up 85-75, but a quick five points to start the fourth had Toronto right back in the game.
DeRozan scored four straight on the back end of an 11-0 spurt that gave the Raptors a brief lead, 91-90, with 5:41 remaining. But the Pistons responded, with Jackson assisting on a Drummond layup and Caldwell-Pope triple before swooping in for a layup.
Detroit led by two late when Jackson air-balled a potential dagger. Toronto went to a Williams isolation from the top of the key with the game on the line, and his pull-up 3 was off the mark. Jodie Meeks made two free throws with 1.6 seconds left to seal it.