3rd quarter report
Down by one point at the end of the second quarter, the Pistons are now in the lead. They took a 99-93 lead against the Raptors.
If the Pistons continue to play like this, they will reach their 20-19 record in no time. On the other hand, the Raptors will have to settle for an 8-31 record unless they turn things around (and quickly).
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
- Or: Little Caesars Arena – Detroit, Michigan
- TV: The sports network
- Follow: CBS Sports app
- Online broadcast: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket cost: $17.00
What you need to know
The Raptors and Pistons have been tied 5-5 since March 2022, but not for long. The Toronto Raptors will stay on the road Saturday to face the Detroit Pistons at 7 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 some motivation.
The Raptors likely go into the contest focusing on the second half, when things went south against the Cavaliers on Thursday. The Raptors took a 132-126 hit in the loss column at the hands of the Cavaliers. The loss hurt even more as Toronto led 93-81 with 4:41 left in the third.
This defeat does not tell the whole story, because several players had good matches. One of the most active was Chris Boucher, who shot 5 of 8 from beyond the arc and had a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds. The dominant performance also gave him a new career high of three (five). Jakob Poeltl was another key player, going 8 of 10 on his way to 17 points plus seven rebounds and six assists.
Even though they lost, the Raptors worked as a unit and finished the game with 34 assists. This strong performance was nothing new for the team: they have now recorded at least 25 assists in five consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, after a five-game winning streak, the Pistons’ good fortune finally ran out on Thursday. They narrowly fell to the Warriors by a score of 107-104. The close game was even more heartbreaking for Detroit, which nearly overcame an 18-point deficit.
Cade Cunningham had a good effort for the losing team going 12 of 21 on his way to 32 points plus eight assists and six rebounds. He becomes a predictor of the Pistons’ success: when he scores at least 20 points, the team is 8-3 (and 11-16 when he doesn’t).
Toronto has been on a rocky road recently after losing 15 of its last 16 games, which took a major dent in its 8-30 record this season. As for Detroit, their loss ended a four-game home winning streak and dropped them to 19-19.
The Raptors failed to finish off the Pistons in their previous meeting in November 2024 and fell 102-100. Can the Raptors avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We’ll know soon enough.
Odds
Detroit is favorite with 4.5 points against Toronto, according to the latest NBA Odds.
Oddsmakers moved slightly against the Pistons, as the game opened with the Pistons as 6-point favorites.
The over/under is 229.5 points.
See NBA Pick for every game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get Picks Now.
History of the series
Detroit and Toronto both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.
- November 25, 2024 – Detroit 102 against. Toronto 100
- November 15, 2024 – Detroit 99 vs. Toronto 95
- March 13, 2024 – Detroit 113 against. Toronto 104
- December 30, 2023 – Detroit 129 against. Toronto 127
- November 19, 2023 – Toronto 142 against. Detroit 113
- March 24, 2023 – Toronto 118 against. Detroit 97
- February 25, 2023 – Toronto 95 vs. Detroit 91
- February 12, 2023 – Toronto 119 against. Detroit 118
- November 14, 2022 – Toronto 115 against. Detroit 111
- March 3, 2022 – Detroit 108 against. Toronto 106
