DETROIT — — Jalen Duren had a career-high 23 rebounds along with 24 points and five assists as the Detroit Pistons won three of four games for the first time in nearly two years, beating the Toronto Raptors 113 -104 Wednesday.
Detroit, which trailed by 16 points in the second quarter, had not won three of four games since the end of the 2021-22 season – a streak of 145 games.
Duren had his second game this season with at least 20 points, 20 rebounds and five assists. Nikola Jokic and Domantas Sabonis are the only other players to have two this season.
Cade Cunningham added 19 points for Detroit, with six players scoring in double figures. The Pistons have the second-worst record in the league, one game ahead of Washington.
Immanuel Quickley scored 25 points for Toronto, which tied a season high by losing five in a row. Former Piston Kelly Olynyk scored 19.
The Raptors led 57-52 at halftime but scored just 22 points in the third. That allowed Detroit to take an 83-79 lead on Stanley Umude’s 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Pistons continued to play good defense, limiting Toronto to two points on 1-of-8 shooting in the first five minutes of the fourth. A pair of 3-pointers from Marcus Sasser put Detroit ahead 100-87 with 4:26 left, and the Raptors never contested down the stretch.
Toronto started the second quarter on a 26-5 run, with nine players contributing points. Cunningham and Duren combined to go 6-of-10 in the quarter, but the rest of the team shot 1-of-14.
FOLLOWING
Raptors: Host Orlando on Friday.
Pistons: Host Miami on Friday.
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