The Toronto Raptors upset the top-seeded Detroit Pistons on Sunday afternoon, securing a 119–108 victory at Scotiabank Arena. Scottie Barnes stuffed the stat sheet for Toronto, finishing with a near triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. Jakob Poeltl had a monster double-double with 21 points, 18 rebounds, and five assists. RJ Barrett had 27 points himself, but it was Brandon Ingram who led the way with 34 points.
Speaking after the game with reporters, Ingram said he knew he was feeling good once he hit a couple of mid-range shots. The Raptors star said he also got into a rhythm from 3-point range and credited his teammates for continuing to find him. Because so many of his teammates were productive offensively, it allowed the floor to open up for Ingram a bit, and this is something he also acknowledged postgame when talking about Toronto getting the matchups they wanted.
"Made a couple mid-range and feeling a rhythm at the three," Ingram said. "My teammates have been doing a good job of finding me when I'm open."
For the season, Ingram is now averaging 21.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. He has done it on 47% from the field, 37.7% from three, and 81.8% from the free-throw line. His play has complemented Barnes and others on Toronto’s roster well, as this group showed its potential on Sunday with an impressive win over Detroit.
For the Pistons, Cade Cunningham led the way with 33 points and nine assists, while both Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren eclipsed the 20-point mark. Outside of those three, Detroit did not have a single other player in double figures, while Toronto had four different players in double figures.
The Raptors will now turn their attention to Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Bulls, which begins a long five-game road trip. That trip also includes games against the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, and LA Clippers. Just two losses back of the fourth-seed Cleveland Cavaliers, and just one loss better than the seventh-seed Miami Heat, Toronto knows every single game is important at this stage of the season.
The Magic have won seven straight games to place themselves above the play-in picture, while Toronto has stumbled a bit of late to be in danger of falling into that mix. But Sunday’s win was a huge step in the right direction, and Toronto will look to keep it going on this upcoming trip.