Cade Cunningham had 15 points and 10 assists and the visiting Detroit Pistons defeated the Toronto Raptors 99-95 on Friday night in an NBA Cup game.
Malik Beasley added a team-high 20 points for Detroit, which has won its first two games of the in-season tournament after its 123-121 overtime victory over the Miami Heat on Tuesday.
Jaden Ivey scored 14 points for the Pistons and Tobias Harris had 11 and a team-high 11 rebounds. Jalen Duren had 12 points and Ronald Holland II scored 10 points to round out six players in double-figures for Detroit.
Jakob Poeltl had a season-best 25 points, grabbed 19 rebounds and had three blocked shots for the Raptors, who have lost their first two tournament games and six in a row overall. RJ Barrett added 22 points and Gradey Dick scored 16 points.
Detroit closed the first quarter on a 13-2 surge to take a 32-27 lead. Toronto battled back in the second quarter to tie the score at 39 thanks to Barrett’s 3-pointer at the eight-minute mark. The teams traded points and tied again at 44 with four minutes left in the half but Detroit pulled away slightly and took a 55-52 halftime lead.
The Raptors came out hot again in the second half with a 16-5 burst after the break. Poeltl had three offensive rebounds in one possession before making a layup to give Toronto a 71-64 lead with 6:08 remaining in the quarter. The Raptors held on to lead 78-73 entering the final frame.
Detroit went on a run to open the fourth quarter and Beasley’s shot off Wendell Moore Jr.’s assist tied the score 82-82 with 9:09 left. The teams traded buckets with Moore hitting a reverse layup and Jamison Battle answering with a 3-pointer for Toronto.
Cunningham’s 3-pointer capped a 9-0 Pistons run to give Detroit a 93-85 lead with 5:25 left. Toronto got within four points at the 1:45 mark thanks to Davion Mitchell’s layup but didn’t get any closer. Duren and Ivey each made one free throw within the final 13 seconds of the game to give Detroit the win.
–Field Level Media
