How Detroit Pistons Defeated Toronto Raptors To Win First Division Title in 18 Years

The Detroit Pistons took another step closer to clinching the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference as they defeated the Toronto Raptors 127-116 at Little Caesars Arena.

The win brought the Pistons to 55-21 and a whopping 30-9 at home. More importantly, the win marked the Pistons first division title in 18 years as they clinched the Central Division.

J.B. Bickerstaff Speaks With Media Regarding Division Title

The Pistons currently have a 4.5 game lead over the second-place Boston Celtics, and the magic number to clinch the No. 1 seed for Detroit has now fell to three wins. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff spoke with the media after the game, and spoke about what the division title means to him and his team.

“We knew we were trying to do something special this year, it’s great to accomplish something like this, but we have our eyes on the playoffs and doing some damage there. We'll celebrate this tonight and get back to work tomorrow.”

The Pistons led at the end of the first quarter 26-20, and took a 59-54 lead into the halftime break. The Pistons came out firing in the third quarter, and a 41-27 third quarter allowed the Pistons to simply see the game out in the fourth quarter to clinch their first division title in 18 years.

Pistons Caught Fire From Beyond the Arc

The Pistons had an all-time shooting night from beyond the arc. As a team they shot a whopping 57 percent from deep, which included Duncan Robinson going 5-8 from distance, and Marcus Sasser connecting on both of his three points attempts.

The Pistons continued to get all-star production from Jalen Duren. Duren logged 31 points, nine rebounds, and dished out three assists in the process.

Perhaps the most exciting stat line from the win over the Raptors was that of Daniss Jenkins, who started the season on a two-way contract. Jenkins recorded 21 points, five rebounds, and five assists as he continues to prove why he deserves a long-term contract in Detroit.

Cunningham Eyes Comeback After Collapsed Lung

Pistons guard Cade Cunningham was spotted on the team bench as he continues to nurse his collapsed lung that he suffered back on March 17.

The Pistons said at the time they would reevaluate Cunningham in two weeks time, which would be today. The Pistons, who are now done with their back-to-back, will have a day of rest before taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves in Detroit.