The Toronto Raptors were far from having their full roster Monday in Detroit, but they still overcame that hurdle to beat the Pistons 115-111.
Deprived of Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent junior, among his important players, head coach Nick Nurse trusted, among others, guard Dalano Banton. The latter responded well to the call by finishing with 27 points, the highest total among all players of the only Canadian team in the NBA.
Quebecer Chris Boucher also had a leading role. In 31:13 on the floor, he made seven of 12 shots, including one of three from downtown, as well as his five free throws, for 20 points, the team’s second-highest total. He also had four rebounds and an assist.
The visitors were never really worried, they who took the lead at the end of the first quarter, never to look back afterwards. They also won the first three quarters, before giving up the fourth to their rivals.
On the side of the Pistons, Jaden Ivey tried to maintain the rhythm, with 21 points, but without success. He was helped, among other things, by performances of 18 and 16 points, respectively from Bojan Bogdanovic and Marvin Bagley III.
The Raptors thus conclude a short three-game trip with only one victory. They will now return north of the Canada-US border to face the Miami Heat there on Wednesday.
Dort and the Thunder can’t hold off the Celtics
In Boston, Quebec’s Luguentz Dort and the Oklahoma City Thunder came very close to causing quite a surprise, but they finally had to admit defeat 126 to 122 against the Celtics.
The visitors had pushed the audacity to lead by seven points after three quarters. They were, however, outscored 37-26 in the fourth and final.
The Thunder were unable to contain Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who scored 27 and 26 points respectively. Marcus Smart also helped them, adding 22 points.
For his part, Dort was the second most productive of his team, with 21 points. The Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was again the star of his team, with 37 points.