The Toronto Raptors (39–42) kept their playoff hopes alive on Monday night with a critical 111–97 win against the Detroit Pistons (26–55) in Detroit.
Toronto came into The Palace of Auburn Hills arena off a crushing five-game losing streak, including a blowout loss against the team they are chasing, the Chicago Bulls, on Sunday.
Sunday’s loss knocked them to ninth place in the East and another loss on Monday would have ended their playoff hopes.
But Toronto proved that they were up to the challenge. After a slow start with sloppy passes and defensive letdowns in the first quarter, the team pulled together to surge ahead for the remaining three quarters.
The Raptors were led by an explosive Andrea Bargnani, who took over the second quarter, scoring 17 points in a dominant second quarter. He finished the night with 33 points.
The 7-foot Italian center lit it up both inside and outside, shooting 13–22 from the field, including 5–6 from beyond the perimeter. His shooting clinic extended the Raptors lead by as many as 22 points.
“We did a great job sharing the ball, and the ball was going in,” Bargnani told NBA TV.
“Now we have one day to rest and we’ve got the last game against New York. We’re going to play at 100 percent. That’s all we can do now.”
Bargnani was supported by forward Amir Johnson who scored a career-high 26 points. Reserve man Jarrett Jack finished with an impressive 15 points and 12 assists.
It was a fast-break dunk fest for both teams down the stretch with Detroit having no hope of climbing out of the hole.
Pistons guard Ben Gordon carried the team with 24 points but there wasn’t much Detroit could do with Toronto shooting at 60 percent.
If Chicago wins against Boston on Tuesday, the Raptors’ playoff hopes are over.
Toronto came into The Palace of Auburn Hills arena off a crushing five-game losing streak, including a blowout loss against the team they are chasing, the Chicago Bulls, on Sunday.
Sunday’s loss knocked them to ninth place in the East and another loss on Monday would have ended their playoff hopes.
But Toronto proved that they were up to the challenge. After a slow start with sloppy passes and defensive letdowns in the first quarter, the team pulled together to surge ahead for the remaining three quarters.
The Raptors were led by an explosive Andrea Bargnani, who took over the second quarter, scoring 17 points in a dominant second quarter. He finished the night with 33 points.
The 7-foot Italian center lit it up both inside and outside, shooting 13–22 from the field, including 5–6 from beyond the perimeter. His shooting clinic extended the Raptors lead by as many as 22 points.
“We did a great job sharing the ball, and the ball was going in,” Bargnani told NBA TV.
“Now we have one day to rest and we’ve got the last game against New York. We’re going to play at 100 percent. That’s all we can do now.”
Bargnani was supported by forward Amir Johnson who scored a career-high 26 points. Reserve man Jarrett Jack finished with an impressive 15 points and 12 assists.
It was a fast-break dunk fest for both teams down the stretch with Detroit having no hope of climbing out of the hole.
Pistons guard Ben Gordon carried the team with 24 points but there wasn’t much Detroit could do with Toronto shooting at 60 percent.
If Chicago wins against Boston on Tuesday, the Raptors’ playoff hopes are over.
