Brandon Ingram Leads Raptors to Huge Win vs. Pistons

The Toronto Raptors are getting the monkey off their back after beating the Detroit Pistons 117-106 inside Scotiabank Arena.

The Raptors were trailing in the first half, but they managed to come back with one of their best quarters of the season in the third. They outscored the Pistons 34-17 to take a double-digit lead going into the fourth quarter. From there, the Raptors were able to march on to victory.

The Pistons cut their deficit down to five with a little over a minute to go, but the Raptors were able to hit a dagger when RJ Barrett sunk a 15-footer, giving Toronto a seven-point lead.

Toronto Raptors guard Scottie Barnes talks to forward RJ Barrett and center Jakob Poeltl and forward Brandon Ingram | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Raptors Get Big Win vs. Pistons

Brandon Ingram led all scorers in the game with 34, while Barrett added 27 of his own on 11 of 17 shooting from the field. Jakob Poeltl had a double-double with 21 points and 18 rebounds, while Barnes also notched a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The Pistons were led by Cade Cunningham, who had 33 points of his own, while Tobias Harris added 21. All-Star center Jalen Duren had a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

For the Raptors, the win is the first against a team in the top three in the Eastern Conference standings this season. It is only their second win against any top three team in the league after they beat the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road back in January.

Getting a win like this should give the Raptors some confidence going into a long road trip that will take them to the west coast. The Raptors were also able to move half a game into the number six seed in the East over the Miami Heat, which removes them from the play-in picture.

With the standings so tight between the bottom half of the playoff picture, every game matters in the final four weeks of the season. Not every team would beat the Pistons, so the Raptors getting this win could push them into the safe zone.

What's Next For Raptors?

The Raptors will now begin a five-game road trip that starts in the Windy City against the Chicago Bulls. Tip-off is scheduled for Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET inside the United Center. Fans can watch the game on TSN Sports or stream it on NBA League Pass.

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