Fred VanVleet of the Toronto Raptors
Fred VanVleet of the Toronto Raptors

Video: VanVleet leads Toronto Raptors past Detroit Pistons

TORONTO (Feb. 12) —— The Toronto Raptors secured their fourth win in five games with a nail-biting 119-118 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday Night. The Raptors managed to hold off Detroit’s impressive shooting display for the win at 3 Scotiabank Arena.

Fred VanVleet shone brightest with a 35-point display, including 6 three-pointers, and 8 assists to lead the way for Toronto (27-31). Pascal Siakam added 28 points with six assists, Scottie Barnes scored 20 points and made three 3-pointers, while Precious Achiuwa instrumental on the glass, grabbing a team-high 11 rebounds to go along with his 11 points for the Raptors.

For the Pistons, Bojan Bogdanovic led the charge with 33 points, shooting 10-of-18 from the field, and 10-of-11 from the foul line. Alec Burks had 21 points and connected on four 3-pointers, Jaden Ivey added 18 points and seven assists, and Hamidou Diallo chipped in with 18 points and seven boards in the defend.

Detroit tried to make it a game, but the visitors were undone by their 18 turnovers, which led to 14 points for the Raptors.

“We’ve just got to be smarter with the ball, stronger with the ball,” said Pistons coach Dwane Casey. “A lot of our turnovers were self-inflicted, throwing it to nobody, throwing it to air.”

Toronto led for most of the game and held a narrow 53-52 lead at halftime before managing to secure the win thanks to their balanced shooting performance in the second half which the team shot 51.2%.

The Raptors made 42-of-87 attempts from the field for a 48.3% shooting percentage overall in the contest, while Detroit shot 40-of-79 for a 50.6% success rate.

The Raptors will now host the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, while the Pistons travel to Boston to face the Celtics on Wednesday.

Complete Box Score and Game Stats – Click Here

DWAYNE SIMPSON

Dwayne is a former high school and college athlete who now enjoys life off the court and off the track. He is a former contributor for the News World weekly magazine and online website.

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